Together (a McRoll in the REAL World story)
by sammy1026
Summary: Some situations are easier when you handle them together
1. Chapter 1

_Mari & Ilna-There simply aren't adequate words to describe how AWESOME the two of you are. Thanks for inspiring me. Thanks for your friendship. And thanks for not strangling me when I decided to completely redo this story a little over a week before it was due to be posted. I know you're used to my relentless tweaking but that went above and beyond. Thanks for the comments along the way. And thanks for the proof job Ilna!_

 _Sandy-You're simply the best. Thanks for 10 years in the fandom trenches. Here's to many more._

 _REAL Worlders-I can't find the words to express how much your support and enthusiasm mean to me. You guys are AWESOME. You're always so very generous with your comments and reviews and I am so far behind in replying it's shameful. Please know it is not a lack of appreciation but merely a lack of available time. Please know that each and every one is read and treasured._

 _So, the next monster is finally here. I hope it meets expectations. There will be 5 chapters in all. One posted each of the next 5 days._

* * *

 **Together (1/5)**

 _In our togetherness, castles are built- Irish proverb_

Catherine blinked her eyes rapidly and tried to control her breathing as she struggled to take in her unfamiliar surroundings. She had no idea where she was and couldn't seem to focus her thoughts long enough to figure it out. She felt fuzzy. Confused. Disconnected from her body in a way. As if total clarity was just outside her reach.

She fought hard to refocus her attention on the things she was capable of processing in her current state.

There was a high-pitched beeping sound in her ears, the origin of which she couldn't immediately identify, with a rhythm as steady and unchanging as a metronome.

Her mouth was almost painfully dry. Her limbs were heavy. The thought of summoning enough energy to get up and make it to the door seemed impossible.

She lifted her head slightly and immediately the entire room began to spin. A powerful wave of nausea rolled over her causing her to squeeze her eyes closed, clamp her jaw shut, and breathe through her nose in an effort to avoid vomiting.

Once it passed she tried again.

This time more slowly.

She opened her eyes a crack and this time without lifting her head off the pillow turned very slowly from side to side. To her left was a stainless steel IV stand and a small machine with multiple knobs that appeared to be monitoring her vital signs and transmitting the results to a small, attached screen. It also seemed to be the source of the beeping.

Beyond those items there was a large window. She could see a tiny ray of sunlight shining through the slight separation of the closed black-out style curtains.

' _Is this a hospital?'_

She desperately tried to gather her thoughts but she couldn't get her head to clear. She felt as though she was fighting her way through a thick fog. Thoughts and ideas entered her mind and then quickly disappeared before she could grab hold of them.

' _What am I doing in a hospital?'_

She attempted to push herself into a sitting position but when another wave of nausea struck she was forced to give up on that idea. As she slumped back she felt something hard under her hand.

A call button.

She pressed it frantically and waited.

A few seconds later the door at the far end of the room opened and the light from the hallway poured in illuminating the silhouette of a petite woman in the doorway. At least she thought it was a woman.

The figure reached out and turned on the room's overhead light and Catherine was forced to close her eyes against the intrusion. Her head suddenly felt as though someone had it in a vice and was turning the screw double time.

"It's been awhile since you've seen the light."

Catherine could tell the voice was moving closer to her current position. Also, that it was definitely a woman. The next sentence was delivered from directly beside the bed.

"Your eyes need time to adjust. Just take it easy and don't try to rush things. Your body will let you know when it's ready."

"Where … ?" Catherine started then stopped to clear her throat. She wasn't sure if the scratchiness in her voice was caused by lack of use or by a combination of nausea and grogginess.

"You're perfectly safe. You're in a secure medical facility." The woman's matter-of-fact tone, which was most likely meant to be soothing, actually had the opposite effect.

Catherine became agitated and began to pull angrily at her IV lines. "A secure ... where? Why? What's going on? Where's Steve?" she demanded.

"Come on now. You can't do that. You're gonna hurt yourself." The woman placed one hand softly on Catherine's shoulder as she used the other to gently but firmly pull her arm away and check to make sure the IV was still secure.

Catherine stopped struggling and took a few seconds to look at the woman beside her. She was average height and very slender. About 55 years old. Her salt and pepper hair was pulled back in a bun and she was dressed in navy blue scrubs with a lanyard around her neck that held an ID badge identifying her as Penelope Pace.

"I'm Penny. I'm your nurse," the woman said, purposely side-stepping Catherine's earlier questions. As she spoke she checked the monitor Catherine had observed earlier and made notes on a small clipboard which she then slid into a compartment at the foot of the bed.

Catherine attempted to follow her movements as best she could but had to close her eyes every few seconds and breathe deeply to combat the continuing nausea.

"Where's Steve?" she asked again.

"The doctor is on his way to talk to you," Penny said calmly. "He'll be able to answer any questions you have."

"Please, ask him to hurry," Catherine huffed as she rubbed her forehead attempting to stave off a tension headache.

"I will," Penny promised. "And in the meantime I'm gonna adjust your IV so you feel a little less groggy. But if you find the pain returns you let me know and I'll turn it back up."

Catherine sighed loudly. "Thanks."

While Penny busied herself checking the various knobs on the machine beside the bed Catherine took a second to assess her physical condition. She wiggled her toes under the blankets and flexed her fingers as subtly as possible. Everything seemed to be in reasonable working order. Truth be told she wasn't feeling any pain at all. At least not at the moment. Her only issue appeared to be nausea. The intensity of which was subsiding slightly but it still rolled over her in regular waves.

"Can you just tell me … " Catherine started, but Penny cut her off.

"I can't tell you anything. I'm sorry. It's way above my pay grade. But Dr. Wolfert should be along to talk to you any minute."

Catherine clenched her jaw in frustration. "Can you at least get me some water? My mouth feels like a desert."

"That I can do," Penny replied with an insincere half smile.

After pouring some water from the plastic pitcher sitting on the small enamel table to Catherine's right, Penny raised the head of the bed and held the glass steady while her agitated patient took a much needed drink.

"Not too fast," Penny cautioned. "You'll choke."

Catherine disregarded the warning and savored several deep swallows. Just as Penny placed the glass back on the table a tall, balding man in green scrubs and a white lab coat entered the room followed by two men in suits. All three wore somber expressions.

As they made their way to the foot of the bed Catherine noticed the men in the suits were armed. They hung back in the shadows as the doctor took a few steps forward.

"Lieutenant Rollins, I'm Dr. Wolfert. I've been in charge of your treatment since you arrived here at the facility."

"And when was that?" Catherine asked testily.

"You don't remember?" The doctor lifted her chart and began studying the latest information. His face was absolutely unreadable. "Have you tried?"

Catherine searched her memory. She was feeling less foggy since Penny adjusted her IV but she still couldn't seem to get her brain to work in the orderly fashion she was used to. "The last thing I remember is Halloween. Well the day after to be exact."

"Nothing after that?" Dr. Wolfert inquired as he made notes on her chart. The tapping of the pen on the clipboard sounded like a jackhammer to Catherine.

She tried again. "No. Nothing after that."

The doctor turned to face her with a very serious expression. "There's no easy way to tell you this, Lieutenant. Today is March 6th, 2016. You've been here with us a little over four months."

"What? That's not possible!" Catherine fought the nausea and pulled herself to a sitting position.

"I'm afraid it is," the doctor insisted. "I can get you a copy of today's paper if you'd like."

Catherine ignored his offer."Where's Steve? I want to see Steve. Steve McGarrett. Please."

Penny moved closer and gripped Catherine's hand tightly. There was something about her action that created a knot of dread in Catherine's stomach. Why was this woman she barely knew offering her comfort?

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Dr. Wolfert said solemnly. "Commander McGarrett was killed along with the rest of his team November 2nd of last year in an attack on Iolani Palace. You were the only survivor."

"What … no." Catherine shook her head adamantly. Her mind refused to even consider the possibility. "That's not possible. I would remember … no … it's not true."

"I'm afraid it is," Penny said sympathetically.

"These men," Dr. Wolfert indicated the two men in suits who had now moved closer to the bed, "are Federal Marshals. They've been assigned to protect you. Whoever killed your team is still at large and you're still very much in danger."

"No, no, no." Catherine fought back tears as she tried desperately to gather her thoughts. "I want to talk to my father. Captain Joseph Rollins. Please."

The older of the two men in the suits began to speak. "Right now all communication has been suspended. We have no idea who can be trusted and who can't. The attack was a devastating blow and we have reason to believe may have been planned with the help of inside information. Until this case is solved no one can be trusted."

"My father can be trusted," Catherine lashed out angrily.

"I'm sorry," the man responded flatly. "The rules are the rules."

"I want to talk to someone who can answer my questions," Catherine demanded. "The governor. Or Sgt. Duke Lukela."

Dr. Wolfert cut in. "Right now you need your rest. There'll be time for questions later."

"No … please … I need to know what's happening," Catherine pleaded.

"Up her medication so she can get some sleep," Dr. Wolfert directed Penny. He made a final note on her chart then reached behind her to hand the clipboard to the nurse. "Monitor her closely and let me know if her condition changes." He turned to Catherine. "The guards will be right outside the door. You're perfectly safe. We can talk more tomorrow."

"No … please … " Catherine turned to Penny. "I don't want a sedative. I need to talk to … " She trailed off as her head became light and she felt herself drifting off to sleep. She tried to fight it but it was no use. As she settled back against the pillows she had one last conscious thought.

' _This can't be happening.'_

* * *

Danny breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled up in front of the beach house and saw Esther's car out front along with Steve's truck and Catherine's Corvette. He'd been sure he was supposed to meet Steve and Catherine for breakfast before Catherine headed to the courthouse for the Sinclair trial and he and Steve headed to work. He specifically remembered teasing Catherine about not being able to eat ketchup on her eggs for fear she might drip some on her court clothes which elicited the expected eyeroll from Catherine and an enthusiastic nod of agreement from Steve.

He arrived at the diner at the appointed time but Steve and Catherine were nowhere to be seen. They weren't inside and their cars weren't in the parking lot. It was unlike either one of them to be late, let alone both of them.

Danny ordered three coffees and waited. Twenty minutes later, and after several unanswered phone calls to both of their phones, there was still no sign of them so he decided to head to the beach house and see if they'd gotten their wires crossed.

The presence of all three cars eased his mind. Surely if there was anything wrong Esther would have let him know right away. Danny knew his best friends considered Esther much more than just a dog sitter. She was a friend. Someone they trusted not only with their beloved Cammie but also to keep an eye on things when a case kept them away from the house for an extended period of time.

As he put the Camaro in park and grabbed the carrier of take out diner coffee from the passenger's seat his phone buzzed with the sound of an incoming call. He glanced at the screen and saw Esther's name, number and a picture of her and Scout that Grace had taken the week before and sent to his phone.

A sick feeling settled immediately in the pit of his stomach.

He scrambled out of the car, placed the coffee on the hood, and headed towards the house at a jog. As he got closer he could see the front door was ajar. He burst through it to find a worried looking Esther sitting on the floor beside a groggy Cammie.

"Oh there you are," she said, relief clearly written all over her face at the sight of him. "I was trying to call you."

"I know," Danny said, eyes moving around the room trying to get a feel for what might be going on. "I got your call just as I pulled up and saw your car. What's going on? Where are Steve and Catherine?"

"I was hoping you'd know." Esther tried to keep the panic out of her voice. "Both of their cars are here but there's no sign of them. And when I came in I found Cammie like … this. Just lying here. I mean she didn't even greet me when I opened the door. And look how glassy her eyes are."

"Are you okay, girl?" Danny asked as his own eyes continued to scan the room.

Cammie could only manage a half-hearted tail thump in return.

"This isn't normal for her," Esther said worriedly. "Steve and Catherine didn't mention anything about her being sick."

"Did you check upstairs?" Danny put his hand on his gun, unsure of exactly what was going on but prepared for anything.

"They're not up there. I even checked the guest rooms and the bathroom. And their bed isn't made either." She looked at Danny with pleading eyes. "This isn't like them. They always let me know if they need to leave in a hurry. And they would never leave Cammie if she wasn't feeling well."

"I know," Danny responded as he drew his weapon. "You wait down here. And let me know right away if you see or hear anything strange."

"Okay." Esther hugged Cammie closer and whispered soothing words in the dog's ear. "It's ok. Everything is gonna be ok."

As he made his way up the stairs Danny wasn't sure if Esther was trying to keep Cammie calm or herself.

Probably a little of both.

He did a quick, cursory check of the entire floor, including closets, and just as Esther said Steve and Catherine were nowhere to be found. He entered the master bedroom and after a quick check of the bathroom and closet took a few minutes to look around more carefully.

There were no obvious signs of a struggle. No blood drops or overturned furniture. Both phones were on the dresser charging. Their Nick and Nora costumes from Halloween hung on the back of the bathroom door. There were pictures from trick-or-treating lying on the dresser waiting to be framed and hung on the picture wall. Nothing seemed out of place.

Danny stepped hesitantly towards Steve's bedside table. He took a deep breath and pulled on the drawer. Any hope he had that this was all just a big misunderstanding and nothing was seriously wrong disappeared in an instant when he looked inside and saw Steve's badge and weapon.

There's no way he would have left the house without them on a work day.

A quick check of the drawer on Catherine's side of the bed yielded similar results.

Danny holstered his weapon and pulled out his phone as he headed back downstairs. When he reached the living room he gave Esther what he hoped was a somewhat reassuring look before his call connected and he turned his attention to the person on the other end.

"Hey, Chin. It's me." His words tumbled out in a rush. "I need you and Kono to get over to Steve and Catherine's place right away."

" _What's up?"_

"I don't know exactly what but something's very wrong. There's no sign of either of them." As Danny talked he made his way quickly through the rest of the ground floor, checking each room, but like the upstairs it appeared undisturbed.

" _When was the last time you talked to them?"_

Danny could tell by the sounds of movement on the other end of the phone that Chin was already on his way.

"Last night around 10:00. You?"

" _Earlier than that. Just hang tight. We're on our way."_

"Thanks, Chin. Hey listen … bring an HPD team with you. I want people going over every inch of this house and yard … you know ..." Danny could hardly bring himself to say the words. "Just in case."

" _I'm on it."_

As he hung up the phone Danny noticed an odd look on Esther's face. "What is it?"

"Smell Cammie's fur," she said. "It smells strange. She was just at the groomers a few days ago. This smell is almost … chemical."

Danny leaned over and ruffled Cammie's fur as he moved in close enough to take a whiff.

Between the normally energetic dog's lethargic behavior, her glassy eyes, and the unusual smell of her fur Danny was afraid he knew exactly what happened to Steve and Catherine.

And it wasn't good.

* * *

As Steve fought his way back to consciousness the first thing he noticed was heavy weight on his left leg which made it nearly impossible for him to move.

The second thing he noticed was that his right wrist was restrained.

Handcuffed to the rails of a hospital bed to be precise.

He took a deep breath and attempted to assess his situation. The room he was in appeared to be a standard hospital room. The bed beside his was unoccupied. The overhead lights were on but the lack of natural light in the room made it difficult to ascertain the time of day. He could hear a steady buzz of activity in the hall outside the room's only door.

His head was foggy and he was having trouble focusing which he quickly realized was most likely related to the IV hanging from a pole on the left side of his bed.

He tugged at the handcuffs on his right wrist again and suddenly a large man in a suit moved into his field of vision. Steve could see he not only had a weapon on his hip but another in a poorly concealed shoulder holster. His hair brushed the top of his collar and he had what appeared to be a three-day growth of beard.

"Commander McGarrett, my name is Darrin Rivera and I'm with the Marshal's Service," the man said as he casually placed his hand on his gun. "You are in my custody. If you don't stop struggling I'll have the nurse sedate you."

"Custody? What are you talking about?" Steve asked angrily.

"You're under arrest for an act of domestic terrorism," the Marshal intoned somberly. "An act that led to the deaths of eleven innocent people including four of your own team members."

Steve froze.

He searched his memory but the last thing he could remember was being at home with Catherine the day after Halloween. They took Mary, Deb and Joanie to the airport then came home and watched a movie while they ate leftover Halloween candy.

His voice took on a deadly calm. "I have no idea what's going on here but I want to talk to Catherine Rollins or Danny Williams immediately."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." The Marshal looked at Steve with a smug impression. "Both of them were among the casualties of your attack on Iolani Palace four months ago."

"My attack … what are you … " Steve struggled against the restraints and for the first time noticed what it was that made his left leg feel so heavy. A large plaster cast that went from his toes to his upper thigh.

"Nurse," the Marshal called and a woman appeared in the doorway almost immediately. "Please sedate Commander McGarrett until he can learn to behave." He turned back to Steve. "I'll be back to question you when you calm down."

With one last glaring look he turned on his heel and exited the room without another word.

A second later the nurse approached the left side of Steve's bed, laid her hand on his forearm and squeezed softly. "You really need to settle down, Commander McGarrett, or they're going to make me give you more sedation."

Steve took a deep breath and tried to focus on the woman. She was young, probably late 20s. Her long curly blonde hair fell past her shoulders and she wore an ID badge clipped to the pocket of her bright pink scrubs. She was more heavily made up than any nurse he'd ever seen in a hospital setting. She wore large hoop earrings and gold chain with a cross pendant. His gaze moved down to the hand on his arm and he noticed she had an elaborate manicure with long, he assumed fake, nails.

Something was definitely not right.

"I'm sorry … Kelly," he said, glancing at her ID badge and attempting to sound as contrite as possible. He needed information and he hoped if he could get the nurse on his side she might tell him what he wanted to know. "I'm just … I have no idea where I am. Or what's going on."

She glanced at the door nervously then looked back at Steve. "You're in a secure medical facility," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Where? What's the name of this place?" He kept his voice low, matching hers.

"I'm sorry," she replied apologetically. "I can't tell you anymore than that. I wish I could."

He decided to try another angle. "How long have I been here?"

"Four months." Kelly fidgeted nervously with the IV line. "I really can't give you many details. I don't want to get in trouble."

Steve wanted to press her further but didn't want to chance alienating someone he realized could potentially be a source of help and information he desperately needed.

"I understand." He managed a small smile. "I don't want to get you in trouble." He sighed heavily and squeezed his eyes closed. "This cast … how would I still have a cast after so many months? What happened to me? I just hate this foggy feeling the drugs cause."

"I know it's hard." Kelly rubbed his forearm. "Just hang in there. You really messed up your leg and the doctors had to do some follow-up surgery a few days ago. That's when they put on the new cast."

"I can't remember anything at all," Steve said with a hint of desperation in his voice for Kelly's benefit.

"I know it must be scary," she replied sympathetically. "Listen, here's what I'll do, I'm gonna pretend to turn your sedation up but as long as you stay calm and don't cause any problems I won't really do it."

"Thanks," Steve said gratefully. "That's nice of you. I won't do anything to get you in trouble. I promise."

"I appreciate that," Kelly nodded. "I'll be back in a little bit to check on you. In the meantime try to get some rest." Her hand lingered on his arm for a minute longer then she smiled softly and headed for the door.

Steve took a deep breath and laid his head back against the pillow. Anyone looking in from the hall would assume he was sleeping but nothing could be farther from the truth.

He'd spent years learning to operate in high-stress situations under the worst possible conditions.

Assess the situation then make a plan.

One thing he knew for sure. Nothing here was what it seemed.

He concentrated on his left leg, contracting the muscles as best he could and wiggling his toes. Aside from the presence of the cast everything felt normal. There was no way he'd undergone surgery recently.

He looked at his left arm. Then his right. He flexed slightly, trying not to draw the attention of the people in the hall. Steve knew his own body. If he'd been in a hospital bed for four months his muscle tone would have diminished significantly. He looked and felt as though he'd just worked out no more than a day or two earlier.

The man claiming to be a Marshal was scruffier than any he'd ever seen and no nurse in his experience wore long fake fingernails on the job.

' _I don't know what's going on here,'_ he said to himself. _'But I'm gonna find out.'_

* * *

Within twenty minutes of Danny's call to Chin there were three separate HPD forensic teams combing the beach house, the yard and Steve and Catherine's vehicles for clues as to what might have happened to them and where they might be.

Esther was in the kitchen, sitting on the floor beside Cammie's water bowl, encouraging her to drink. She'd managed to get a few bites of broiled chicken into the listless dog but not much else.

Cammie eyed Danny and the rest of the officers warily. It was as if she knew they were there to help her humans but she couldn't quite figure out why her humans needed help. Whatever she'd been given to keep her quiet and out of the way during the events that lead to Steve and Catherine's disappearance was still affecting her and it had Esther on edge.

"I need to take Cammie to the vet," she said worriedly as Danny entered the room. "I need to get her checked out. I don't know what they gave her but she isn't herself."

"I was just coming in to suggest that," Danny told her. "First and foremost we have to make sure Cammie is ok … obviously. But secondarily, if the vet could give us any idea of what kind of tranquilizer was used on her it might help lead us to whoever took Steve and Catherine."

Esther nodded her approval of that plan and Danny continued.

"I've arranged for Officer Simmonds from HPD to accompany you. He'll also stay with you after you're done at the vet and keep an eye on you and Cammie. Just to be safe until we know exactly what's going on."

"Ok," Esther said determinedly as she scrambled up off the floor. "I'll get Cammie's leash and we can go right away. Do you think Steve and Catherine will be back by tonight?"

"I won't know that until we figure out exactly what's going on." He wished he could say something more encouraging but one of the things he'd learned over the years was that the best way to handle situations like this was with honest answers.

"I'll pack a few of her things and Cammie can come stay with me until Steve and Catherine get back," Esther suggested. "If you think that's ok."

"I think that's a great idea." He smiled genuinely. "I'm sure Steve and Catherine are worried about her and I know it'd make them feel a lot better to know she's with you. Plus … it's probably best if no one stays here at the house until we get all the details of what happened."

Esther squared her shoulders resolutely. "I'll take care of Cammie. You can count on me."

"I know I can," he said sincerely. "Call me after you get a report from the vet and let me know exactly what they say."

"I will," she replied. "And please call me as soon as you know anything at all about Steve and Catherine."

"You have my word," Danny promised. "Officer Simmonds is waiting for you out front."

"C'mon Cammie," Esther said, "Let's get out of the way so the officers can do their work."

"Call me if you need anything," Danny called to her retreating form.

He smiled when she tossed a "Ditto" over her shoulder.

He walked out the back door to see if the forensic team working outside had turned up any evidence and as he reached the end of the deck he steeled himself and looked towards the beach. He was happy to see nothing but undisturbed sand. The thought that his friends might have been dumped in the ocean only to wash up later, their bodies in unspeakable condition, was more than he was capable of thinking about at the moment.

After taking a few seconds to gather himself, and breathe a sigh of relief, he checked with the head forensics tech and was told no significant evidence had been recovered to this point. He made his way back into the house and as he entered the living room he ran into Chin who was coming down the stairs.

"I checked both of their phones," he said. "Steve's last call was from you at 9:54 last night. Catherine talked to Carrie at 10:15. Nothing outgoing since then. No activity on their tablets either."

"They can't have just vanished." Danny's tone was incredulous. "Where could they be?"

"No clues so far but we'll keep digging." Chin stepped back slightly as a young evidence tech came down the stairs carrying all of Steve and Catherine's electronic devices which he had ordered be taken directly to Five-0 headquarters for examination. He knew both Steve and Catherine valued their privacy and he had no intention of making the contents of their devices, no matter how benign, fodder on a lab report which could very easily end up being leaked. "You think this has to do with the Sinclair trial? Catherine was set to testify first thing this morning."

"It's certainly something we have to consider," Danny sighed. "But if it was about that why grab Steve? Why not take Catherine when she was alone and save yourself the trouble of dealing with an angry SEAL?"

Before Chin could come up with an answer Kono joined them. "That was Frank Kaewa," she said as she slid her phone into her pocket. "I called to let him know what's happening and to ask if he's heard from Catherine."

"Has he?" Danny asked hopefully.

Kono's expression was solemn. "Not a word since Friday."

"He must be going out of his mind," Chin said. "This is the last chance for them to get a conviction on Sinclair. If he walks this time they can't retry him."

Danny's jaw tightened. Anton Sinclair was a piece of human garbage responsible for dozens, if not hundreds, of deaths. He had no regard for human life and as soon as a person outlived their usefulness to him he ordered them killed without a second thought.

He'd run one of the largest drug and prostitution rings in Florida for many years before relocating to Hawaii eight years earlier. The Prosecuting Attorney's office had tried him multiple times on a variety of offenses but somehow he always managed to slip the noose. This was their last bite at the apple and Sinclair was pulling out all the stops to make sure he didn't get convicted.

"At least three witnesses have developed 'memory issues' and refused to testify," Danny spat out angrily. "We know that bastard Sinclair is getting to them. We just can't figure out how. Frank asked for a continuance so we could investigate and the judge turned him down flat. Says the trial starts at 9:00 AM this morning or he's dismissing all charges."

"Without Catherine there's no use in them even going forward," Chin said ruefully. "She did the bulk of the leg work on the case. She's the one who set up the sting that brought him down. Without her the prosecution has nothing."

"Actually we caught a little break there," Kono reported. "Judge Okala's daughter was in a car accident last night."

"Was it serious?" Danny asked.

"From what I hear it wasn't that big a deal at first. Serious enough to need EMTs but not life threatening. She had a few cuts and bruises and apparently one of her legs was trapped under the dash. Unfortunately for her, the first paramedics who showed up on the scene turned out to be incompetent." Kono repeated exactly what she'd been told by Frank Kaewa. "They got her free and got her out of the car but then they couldn't stop the bleeding from her leg. The judge's daughter is pregnant so the blood loss became an issue really fast. By the time another EMT team showed up and got things under control she'd gone into shock. They admitted her to the hospital and the judge is staying with her until she and the baby are out of the woods."

"Any idea how long that'll be?" Chin asked.

"Frank said a couple days at least."

"Ok then we don't have much time." Danny put aside his own personal fear for his friends' well-being and shifted into detective mode. "Chin, I want to know everything there is to know about Anton Sinclair and anyone else connected with this trial. Kono, check anyone who might have been released from prison in the last 60 days who might have a beef with either Steve, Catherine or both and track down their whereabouts for the last 24 hours. I'll start pulling case files looking for threats or anything else suspicious."

"Will do," the cousins nodded.

"Hopefully between the forensic reports and Cammie's vet report we'll get a lead on exactly how they managed to get the two of them out of here without a fight. That would be a big step towards figuring out who's behind this."

"You think they used something airborne?" Chin asked.

"Most likely." Danny said, remembering the strange odor on Cammie's coat. "But we should know more when we get the lab results."

"I'll keep the pressure on them to get it done ASAP."

Danny gave final instructions to the lead HPD officer on the scene and was ready to head out when an idea struck him. He walked quickly to the front porch and called to Kono who was just getting in her car after having been stopped by one of the evidence techs who had a few questions.

"Hey, Kono, hold up a second." He jogged over to her car and leaned in the passenger window. "Can you get me everything there is on Judge Okala's daughter's accident?"

"You think it's related?"

"I think I'm not willing to leave any stone unturned," Danny said.

"Consider it done," Kono nodded.

"Thanks. If we know one thing about Steve and Catherine it's that they're fighters. They're gonna do everything they can to either free themselves or stay alive until we find them. So let's find them fast."

* * *

When Catherine next awoke she wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but her sense was it hadn't been very long. She opened her eyes just a smidge and noticed the sun was still shining through the crack in the curtains, albeit at a slightly lower angle.

She looked at her IV bag and saw very little had run out since Dr. Wolfert ordered his nurse to increase her sedation.

The glass of water sitting on her bedside table had droplets of condensation from the water line down indicating the contents had not yet warmed up to room temperature.

She fought hard against the brain fog that threatened to consume her as she continued to assess her surroundings. She realized that the monitor beside her bed had been beeping the same steady rhythm since she initially awoke with no variation at all.

She took deep breaths and concentrated on slowing down her heart rate.

Same steady rhythm.

She took the opposite approach and intentionally tried to get her heart rate up.

Still no change.

She held her breath.

Nothing.

It was clear the monitor was a fake. Just as she was beginning to think everything in this so-called hospital was.

She feigned sleep as she heard someone approach her door and start a conversation with the men stationed outside. They kept their volume level low but she was certain one of the voices belonged to Dr. Wolfert. She strained to decipher what was being said but it was no use. Eventually she heard a female voice and knew Nurse Penny had joined the group.

Finally, Dr. Wolfert began to move down the hall and as he passed in front of the open door Catherine was able to make out a few sentences.

"I'm going to check on the other patient," he said. "If she wakes up or gives you any trouble, double the sedation and just let her sleep."

Catherine cringed. She was barely able to maintain any coherent thought against her current level of sedation. She'd have no chance if the dosage increased.

She decided on the spot to give the appearance of cooperation until she could get a better handle on what was happening and come up with a plan of action.

As she shifted to get more comfortable she felt a little twinge high up on the inside of her left thigh. She hazarded a glance at the door and when she saw no one was looking she raised the blanket slightly, lifted the hem of her hospital gown and looked at the painful area.

When her eyes landed on a small bite shaped bruise she froze.

Instantly she was back at home, in bed with Steve, the night after Halloween. He was nibbling playfully at her thigh when someone began setting off fireworks unexpectedly. The noise made Cammie bark and made both Steve and Catherine jump. The result was a small bruise on her thigh.

Steve apologized profusely as they both had very strong feelings against marking the other's body, but Catherine laughed and said she knew it was completely unintentional and she'd just have to avoid wearing a bikini for a few days.

Judging from the looks of it, that bruise couldn't have been more than twenty-four hours old.

Suddenly Dr. Wolfert's words came back to her in a rush.

He didn't say he was going to check on another patient he said he was going to check on "the other" patient.

Steve.

It had to be.

He was somewhere in this hospital.

And she was going to do whatever it took to find him.

* * *

Steve fought to remain calm as the man who had previously identified himself as U.S. Marshal Rivera reentered his room, this time accompanied by a man dressed in scrubs and a white doctor's jacket.

Now that Steve had a chance to get another look he was certain the man wasn't a real marshal.

His weapons weren't anything Steve had ever known to be standard issue for the Marshal's Service. His badge was far too shiny. It looked as though it had never been worn before today. The ID number was also three digits too short. The man's long hair and scruffy beard may have worked if he was on an undercover assignment but it wouldn't be acceptable for a marshal guarding a high-value prisoner such as a domestic terrorist.

Nurse Kelly made her way to Steve's bedside and began to fidget with his IV as the doctor lifted his chart from the holder at the foot of the bed and began to read. He shot Kelly a reassuring look to let her know he had no intention of letting on she hadn't sedated him as ordered.

"I'm Dr. Wolfert," the man in the lab coat said. "How are you feeling today, Commander McGarrett?"

"Confused," Steve answered, allowing just a touch of anger to come through in his tone. He knew if he appeared to acquiesce completely it would raise red flags. "I want to talk to someone who can tell me what's going on."

"When the time is right Marshal Rivera can answer all your questions. For right now you need to rest," Dr. Wolfert said without raising his eyes from the chart.

"Aren't I entitled to an attorney?"

"We've notified Washington you're awake and they're making arrangements to get you counsel. It's going to take a few days," Rivera said.

"I have my own attorney. I'd like to call him," Steve volleyed back.

"I'm sorry but that just isn't going to be possible." Rivera's tone left no room for debate. "You're being held under terrorism statutes. We're getting you an attorney qualified to practice in that area. We won't be asking you to answer questions until he or she arrives."

"How can I answer any questions?" Steve growled. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"All in good time, Commander," Dr. Wolfert interjected as he moved to the right side of the bed. "We'll see where we stand tomorrow. For right now I'm going to have Kelly bring you some dinner and then you need to sleep."

Again Steve looked reassuringly at the young nurse.

"If you have any pain during the night just let the nursing staff know and they'll call me." Dr. Wolfert reached across the bed to hand the chart to Kelly and Steve froze.

His senses were instantly on high alert.

The sleeve of the doctor's lab coat held a smell Steve would know anywhere.

Catherine's shampoo.

She was somewhere in this hospital.

He was sure of it.

And he was going to do whatever it took to find her.

 **End Chapter 1**

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

ANs in chapter 1

* * *

 **Together (2/5)**

 _In our togetherness, castles are built- Irish proverb_

When Catherine awoke from the latest round of sedative she could tell by the decreased activity in the hallway outside her door, as well as the moonbeam shining through the crack in the closed curtains opposite her bed, that it must be getting late.

The monitor on her left side still beeped out the same steady rhythm, reminding her that nothing in the room was what it appeared to be. Problem was, the sedative dripping slowly into her vein was making it hard for her to focus and get a handle on exactly what was happening and, equally as important, who might be behind it.

She heard a female voice exchanging pleasantries with the armed men stationed outside her door and the next thing she knew Nurse Penny was at her bedside, checking her vital signs.

Or at least pretending to.

"We're going to leave you alone tonight so you can get some sleep. Nothing worse for a patient's recovery process than being woken up every hour."

Penny made a few notes on Catherine's chart, checked her IV, then tucked in her blankets, all without ever making eye contact.

A fact that didn't go unnoticed by her patient.

"Thanks." Catherine forced a smile. "I appreciate that."

"I'll be staying right here in the hospital though so I'll be close if you need anything." Penny poured some water into a cup and set it on the table within Catherine's reach.

"Oh … that seems like such an inconvenience … I don't want to keep you from your family."

Even in the most secure medical facilities on the planet there were teams of nurses attending to each patient ensuring no one care provider needed to be available twenty-four hours a day.

Whoever planned this may have gotten a lot of the big picture things right but they failed in a big way when it came to the details. And to a person as observant as Catherine it was the little inconsistencies that stuck out most.

"No problem. It's my job," Penny replied matter of factly. "If you need anything at all you just press the call button or let the men outside your door know and they'll come get me."

"I'll do that. Thanks."

Catherine was thrilled at the thought of several uninterrupted hours of alone time. It would be the first break she'd gotten since she arrived and she planned to take full advantage. She waited for a few minutes after Penny left to be sure no one else was going to pop in to check on her then put her plan into motion.

With an exaggerated yawn she stretched and turned onto her left side. She laid still for a few minutes to see if she was going to draw the interest of the guards and when she didn't, she made her next move.

Very slowly she pulled the IV needle out of the port in the back of her hand and plunged it into the mattress. Had the monitors in her room been real they probably would have picked up such a move and sent an alarm to the nurse's station but she felt confident this machine would be sounding no such alarm.

She took several deep breaths and waited for her head to begin to clear.

She wanted to know who was responsible for bringing her here and what they wanted but more than that she wanted to find Steve.

Then they could face whatever was coming together.

* * *

Dr. Wolfert entered the small, cramped room that was currently serving as his office and dropped down into a metal folding chair. Nothing about this day had gone as planned and he had the frayed nerves to prove it.

This was supposed to be so easy.

He was supposed to be on his way to the mainland by now, never to return to this hot, sticky island he had loathed since the day he arrived.

But 'supposed to be' got blown out of the water.

Now they were flying by the seat of their pants. Making things up as they went along. Trying to keep their heads above water long enough to execute an exit strategy. In his experience those kinds of operations rarely turned out well. He sighed heavily and dropped his elbows to his knees. He couldn't decide if he was too tired to eat or too hungry to sleep.

The delay wasn't his fault but even so, he was the one left to clean up the mess and devise a plan to keep everything contained until the time was right to make their final move. And devise a plan he had. A stroke of genius if he did say so himself. Truth be told he was quite proud of himself not only for coming up with the idea but for pulling everything together on such short notice. He just hoped the boss felt the same way because rush jobs don't come cheap.

His phone buzzed and a quick look at the caller ID told him it was time to face the music. "Sacia here."

" _Sacia? What happened to Dr. Wolfert?"_

"He's off duty for the night," Sacia grumbled, happy to have a chance to shed his fake doctor persona, even for a few hours.

" _Are both packages secure?"_

"Safe in their respective beds and heavily sedated." Sacia dropped his head back and sighed. "We won't be hearing a peep out of either one of them before morning. Any word on when the trial is gonna get started?"

" _Nothing yet. I'm hoping no more than another couple of days. Three at most."_

"I can't believe some little drunk pissant had an accident with the judge's daughter, of all people, and screwed up our perfect plan."

" _I'm not sure you can call it a perfect plan when you and your men couldn't even manage to snag the … packages … on schedule."_

"We've been all over this," Sacia said angrily, his head snapping up. "I got no problem grabbing two cops. And I'll have no problem killing them when the time comes. But when we got there Saturday there was a little girl and old lady along with another woman. I draw the line at grabbing innocent women and children."

" _You're a real saint. But you cut it awfully close not grabbing them until Sunday night."_

"I got the job done, didn't I?"

" _So far. Just remember I need them alive until after the charges against me are dropped."_

"I know. I know.. Once I get the word from you that you're in the clear I'm gonna take 'em out to the trailhead at Ahupua'a O Kahana State Park, let the cameras there get a few pictures of them so people think they disappeared by their own choice, then kill them, take their bodies out to deep water and feed them to the sharks."

" _Perfect. Just wait for my word that the trial is over. Shouldn't take long. Without the lady cop they have no case. I'm guessing they'll drop the charges without bothering to call a single witness."_

"Yeah … well … what if that doesn't happen? What if they decide to go ahead?"

" _Just leave it to me. I've got it covered. There's no way they find twelve people to vote guilty."_

"You better be right."

" _I am. You just worry about your end of things. How do you plan on handling them until it's time to take the pictures? Don't forget neither one of them is a pushover. Keep them sedated as much as you can."_

"Like you said, let me worry about my end. Remember we need them to look as normal as possible in the pictures so I have to be careful. I can't go overboard with the sedation. I actually came up with a better idea on my own."

" _What is it?"_

"You let me worry about the details. Just don't give me any flack when you get a big bill from the printers. Last minute rush jobs don't come cheap."

" _Fine. The less details I have the better. But whatever it is you just better hope it works."_

"It will."

" _I'll call you when I hear anything about when the trial is going to start."_

"You do that. I can't wait to get this over with so I can collect my money and get back to the mainland and I don't care if I never see sand again in my life."

* * *

"Is there anything else you need before I turn out the lights?" Kelly asked as she finished making notes on Steve's chart.

"I hate to bother you but … would it be possible for me to get some dental floss?" he asked as innocently as he could manage. "I have a little seed or something from dinner stuck between my teeth and it's driving me crazy."

"I'm … hmmm … I'm not sure." Kelly looked uncertain as to how to handle such a request. "Let me go and see what I can do."

"Thanks." Steve flashed her a glassy-eyed smile. "I really appreciate that."

"Sure. No problem." She looked at him closely but his face remained guileless. "I'll go see if I can find you some."

Earlier in the evening, when she brought him his dinner tray, Steve inquired as to how the feeding situation had been handled for the four months he was supposedly unconscious and Nurse Kelly, after quite a bit of stammering and a few false starts, explained that she fed him every day via a feeding tube but that the tube was removed when it was clear he was regaining consciousness.

Steve feigned ignorance and asked her to explain exactly how a feeding tube worked. Kelly, apparently happy for the excuse to spend more time with her patient, spun out quite a tale of how the tube was inserted down the throat into the stomach and was used to provide food to unconscious patients.

If Steve had any doubt left in his mind that his nurse was completely devoid of medical training, it disappeared in that second. Feeding tubes were inserted directly into the stomach and never placed down a patient's throat. However, he couldn't let Kelly know he was on to her so he simply smiled and thanked her for taking such good care of him.

A few minutes later the perky nurse re-entered the room appearing slightly flustered.

"Can you believe I couldn't find any floss at all? They must keep it in one of the cabinets that gets locked overnight."

"Oh no," Steve frowned.

"But … " she held up a small white plastic container triumphantly, "I remembered I had some in my purse that I keep for emergencies."

"You're a lifesaver!" Steve beamed at her and she blushed as she handed him the floss. "Would I be too much of a bother if I asked for a glass of water?"

"Not at all," Kelly smiled.

As she turned to the table beside the bed to retrieve the water pitcher Steve popped open the lid of the floss and pulled off a section about a foot long which he quickly shoved under his blanket. As she turned back to hand him the water he tore off another shorter piece.

"It's a little tricky when you're handcuffed to the bed," he said apologetically.

"I understand," Kelly nodded sympathetically as Steve leaned forward awkwardly and ran the floss between his teeth. When he was finished she held up a small, round trash receptacle and he dropped the used floss in with a grateful smile. He then took a few swallows of the water and settled back against the pillows.

"If you need anything through the night just ring your buzzer."

"Thanks. But I think I'll be able to sleep now. See you tomorrow, Kelly."

"Goodnight, Commander McGarrett."

Once he was sure Kelly was safely out of sight and the guards outside the door had settled in for the night Steve twisted his left hand and wrist to just the right angle, one he'd perfected during many covert attempts over the course of the day, and trapped his IV line line against the bed's side rail reducing the drip of the sedative to almost nothing.

He needed his head to be as clear as possible so he could figure out the quickest, most efficient way to get out of this room and find Catherine.

Once he knew she was safe they could concentrate on facing this mess as they faced everything … together.

* * *

Danny stood at the smart table, staring at the overhead screens, each one of which showed the face of a criminal who had made a threat against either Steve, Catherine or both in the last twelve months. HPD had every available officer working to help track down the whereabouts of each one but so far there was nothing to suggest any of them was involved in any way with his friends' disappearance.

No matter how many other potential suspects they looked at, Danny kept coming back to one man. Anton Sinclair. The man whose trial had been scheduled to begin the previous morning with Catherine Rollins as star witness for the prosecution. Something in Danny's gut told him Sinclair was behind this. And his gut was rarely wrong in circumstances like this.

He swiped angrily at the table's glowing top and the pictures of some of Hawaii's worst criminals disappeared from the screens above his head, their images replaced by Anton Sinclair's police file. Drugs, prostitution, gun running. All those things were bad enough on their own. But what really got to Danny were the reports of the gruesome murders carried out against anyone who stood in Sinclair's way.

He wasn't about to let Steve and Catherine meet a similar fate.

He was utterly exhausted. He hadn't slept in twenty-four hours. The three pieces of pizza he gobbled down at 1:00 A.M. were sitting in his stomach like a rock. He had painful heartburn as a result of way too many cups of strong, black coffee and the more he looked at the overhead screens the more his eyesight started to blur. He leaned his elbows on the surface of the smart table and tried to fight through it. After a few minutes he dropped his head to his hands.

Not only was the team working around the clock, that was a given, they were also overwhelmed by offers of manpower support from HPD, the SWAT team and various law enforcement agencies from across the state. The Governor personally offered to make sure the team had anything and everything they needed at their fingertips. Even the media, much to everyone's surprise, agreed to cooperate with law enforcement and withhold certain details, such as Danny's suspicions about Anton Sinclair, in an effort to avoid pushing whoever had Steve and Catherine into acting rashly.

Over the past twenty-four hours Danny had been forced to make some of the most difficult phone calls of his life. To Joseph and Elizabeth Rollins, who were understandably distraught and who wanted to fly to the island immediately. Danny managed to convince them that for the time being they were better off staying in New York. There was nothing they could do in Hawaii. He promised to keep them informed hourly and he made good on that promise even though each call was a painful reminder of their lack of progress.

He called Jenna Allen, and after a brief discussion, added Cody to the call. There was no point in trying to hide what was going on from the teenager. He was devastated by the news, but in a move that reminded Danny so much of Steve it put a lump in his throat, put his own fears and anxiety aside and agreed to do everything he could to help shield his younger siblings. He made Danny promise to keep him informed and to let him know if there was anything he could do.

Carrie and John, after they got over the initial shock of the news, set about searching their own shared pasts with Steve and Catherine to come up with a list of anyone who might have carried a big enough grudge to do something like this.

Nonna, in her typical fashion, immediately began to organize friends and church members to light candles and pray, not only for Steve and Catherine's safe return, but that Danny and the rest of the team and all the officers involved find the strength and wisdom needed to bring her grandchildren home safely.

And lastly Mary, who just days earlier had been on the island enjoying trick-or-treating and now was nearly hysterical at the news that Steve and Catherine were missing. Danny was grateful when he heard Aaron's voice in the background and knew Mary wasn't alone. He assured her they were doing everything possible to get Steve and Catherine back safely and asked her if she wanted him to inform Aunt Deb. Mary thanked him for the offer but said she was sure it would be easier coming from her. Like everyone else she made Danny promise to keep her up to date.

He just wished he had some good news to tell her. To tell all of them.

As painful and gut-wrenching as each and every one of those phone calls was they paled in comparison to the task of telling his own daughter. He knew she'd be worried. And scared. And confused. And there was absolutely nothing he could do to prevent it. She loved her Uncle Steve and Auntie Catherine so much and the thought they might be in danger … or worse … he would have given anything to spare Grace that level of emotional devastation. But the only thing he could imagine worse than telling her was having her hear it from someone else.

He stopped by the school on his way back to headquarters to tell her in person. He asked for a private area where they could talk and the principal happily obliged, letting them use her office. He decided that getting right to the point was the best way to go. He told Grace everything they knew, which unfortunately wasn't much. Uncle Steve and Auntie Catherine were missing but the team, and all of HPD, was doing everything possible to find them.

She had a million questions, as expected, that he regretfully couldn't answer. As she tried to work through the emotional maelstrom he wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and promise her everything would be ok. As much for his own benefit as her own. But he couldn't lie to her. Not about something this important.

After crying in his arms for ten minutes she straightened up, took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and gave him a look that made his heart burst with pride. She asked if there was anything she could do to help find Steve and Catherine, anything at all, and when he told her there wasn't she stood up straight and announced she was going back to class.

It was what Uncle Steve and Auntie Catherine would want.

For her to be strong. And brave.

And that's exactly what she was going to do.

Danny promised he'd let her know the second they had any new information, then watched her square her shoulders and head back to class before making his way out to his car intent on following her example.

He was going to be strong. And brave.

And he was going to find Steve and Catherine no matter what it took.

He heard footsteps behind him and raised his head to see Chin entering the bullpen. "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing yet, but the extra manpower Duke sent over is really paying off. I've got one team of people combing through Sinclair's personal info and another through his business dealings," Chin reported. "Plus Duke is still running down info on anyone else who may have had a grudge and the capability to do something like this."

Danny's jaw tensed. "We gotta catch a break on something soon. It's been twenty-four hours. Time isn't on our side."

"There is one thing that seems a little odd," Chin said. "I'm not sure if it means anything but it jumped out at me when we were creating a whiteboard to track Sinclair's history."

"I'll take anything right now," Danny said, trying not to sound desperate. "What do you have?"

Chin moved to the smart table and after searching for a minute began moving new pages to the overhead screens. "Since Sinclair's last mistrial there's been a noticeable change in the way he does business. These are all the various permits and licenses he's applied for in the last few months. A charter fishing business, a cannery, a coffee plantation, an upstart drug company, a chemical manufacturer, a small local newspaper, two construction companies, a medical supply business, a heavy machinery dealership."

"You think he's looking for ways to launder his dirty money," Danny asked.

"Maybe," Chin said uncertainly, "But there's more. It looks as though he's hired a professional PR team. The formation or acquisition of every one of these businesses has been accompanied by a press release detailing all the jobs he's creating and how the revenue and taxes will be a boost to the local economy."

"He wants what … for people to all of the sudden forget about everything he's done in the past … see him as some kind of legitimate businessman?" Danny asked incredulously. "Does he really think that's gonna work?"

"He only needs it to work on one person," Chin pointed out. "Remember, if he isn't convicted this time there isn't going to be another trial. If he can get one juror to hold out and force a mistrial he's a free man."

"Yeah … well," Danny growled, "If he's as mixed up in this whole thing as I think he is he's not gonna have to worry about seeing the outside of a jail cell ever again. We have eyes on him, right?"

"We do," Chin confirmed. "He's on house arrest pending trial and he hasn't left his mansion in Honolulu since last Wednesday when he made his weekly trip to see his parole officer."

"Do we have a tap on his phones?"

"We're working on it but so far we haven't been able to get a judge to sign off on it. They want more evidence that Sinclair is involved in Steve and Catherine's disappearance before they'll give the go ahead."

"So he could be directing this whole thing from his living room and we'd never know." Danny banged on the table angrily.

Before Chin could reply Officer Ray Alana, one of the officers who was assigned to the palace lobby, entered through the glass door that led to the hallway.

"Detective Williams? I hate to bother you right now but there's a man asking to see you. More like insisting really."

"Who is it?" Danny faced Ray and tried not to look or sound perturbed. He knew Alana was a good officer and clearly believed the lead was worth pursuing. Otherwise he wouldn't be here.

"His name is Keone Akuini. He said you interviewed him once before on the Arthur Fogelsong case."

"Yeah ... I think I remember." Danny searched his memory banks. "He was the guy who saw Fogelsong and Albanese talking in the parking lot. Did he say what he wants?"

"Not specifically." Ray shook his head. "Just that he has something important he thinks you'll definitely want to see right away. He's waiting in the hall. And since you said to let you know about anything unusual … well … I thought this might qualify."

"You're right," Danny nodded. "You never know. This guy helped us once before … maybe we catch lightning in a bottle twice. Bring him in."

The young officer turned to retrieve the potential witness and Danny called after him.

"Thanks for keeping your eyes and ears open, Ray. I appreciate it."

"My pleasure, Sir. If there's anything else I can do to help please let me know." Officer Alana left the bullpen and returned a few seconds later with Keone Akuini in tow.

"Detective Williams, thanks for seeing me," Keone said as he crossed the bullpen quickly.

"No problem. It's good to see you again." Danny managed a small smile. "This is my colleague Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly." Chin reached out and shook Keone's hand. "We're a little busy around here right now so I don't have a lot of time. You had something you thought I might want to see?"

"Definitely. I have no idea what this means but … well I figured it can't be good." Keone handed Danny a thumb drive. "I think you need to see what's on here."

Danny looked at Chin who shrugged then took the drive and plugged it into the smart table. A second later he swiped the contents up onto the overheads.

When the information appeared on the screens both Danny and Chin gasped.

"What the hell is this?" Danny ground out. "And more importantly where did you get it?"

* * *

"Do you think maybe I could take a shower?" Catherine asked as Penny cleared away the remains of her lunch tray. "I feel … icky."

She'd managed to get the IV needle resettled into her port just as the nurse arrived for her first visit of the morning several hours earlier and immediately the sedative began to take a toll on her ability to think clearly.

Each time she was left alone she pulled it out again and her clarity began to return but then she would hear someone in the hallway and have to insert the needle once again, thus starting the entire process over.

She was hoping that ten minutes in the shower without her IV, combined with the coldest water she could stand, might give her time to come up with a concrete plan. Some of her best ideas came to her in the shower and she was hoping this time would be no different.

Penny looked at her closely, as if trying to ascertain if there were any ulterior motives behind the request, but Catherine's face remained unreadable.

"I'll talk to Dr. Wolfert and see what he thinks," she said non-committally.

"Thanks, I'd really appreciate it."

As if summoned by the mention of his name Dr. Wolfert entered the room carrying a manila folder which he tapped nervously against his thigh as he walked. His face wore a look Catherine could only call anticipation. He made his way quickly to the right side of her bed and, after pausing for just a second, tossed the folder on the rolling tray and pushed it close to Catherine.

"What's this?" she asked.

"You wanted more information about what's going on so I got it for you," Dr. Wolfert said smugly.

Catherine took note of his expression and knew without a doubt that whatever he had in the folder was designed to cause her pain and throw her off balance to the point she'd stop asking questions.

"I asked to talk to my father," Catherine reminded him. "He can tell me everything I need to know."

Dr. Wolfert huffed. "We're working on that but it's going to take some time. We have to go through official channels and there's a lot of red tape."

"But you're working on it?" Catherine pressed.

"I told you I am," Wolfert snapped back. He took a deep breath to calm himself and continued. "In the meantime I got you some newspaper articles about the attack."

Catherine reached out and hesitantly touched the folder. She reminded herself that whatever she was going to see inside was fake. These people were all lying to her. Nothing they said was to be believed.

'Steve is alive and well,' she told herself. 'I'm sure of it. Same goes for Danny, Chin and Kono.'

"Go ahead," Dr. Wolfert said with a hint of challenge in his voice. "You said you wanted to know."

Catherine took a deep breath and slowly opened the folder. Her mind immediately began to reel.

A burned out building.

Bodies covered by tarps on the lawn of Iolani Palace.

Blood everywhere.

A headline in large font screaming ' _Death at the Palace_ '.

She squeezed her eyes closed against the pain the images created and forced herself to breathe. After a few seconds she opened them again and began to read the attached article.

 _Dozens wounded._

 _Thirteen dead._

 _Among them Five-0 team members Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua._

'Breathe,' she told herself. 'It's not real.'

She took note of the date on the paper.

November 2, 2015.

 _An explosion of unknown origins ripped through Iolani Palace early this morning killing thirteen people, including four members of the Five-0 task force, and injuring dozens of others. HPD is investigating the cause of the explosion that was heard over a mile away. So far no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing and officials refuse to say if they believe it was an act of terrorism._

Catherine couldn't stand to look at the pictures any longer. She turned the article over and placed it face down on a tray. She winced as she realized the next article wasn't any better.

Multiple flag draped coffins.

A line of saluting officers.

A cemetery.

November 9, 2015.

 _Several members of the Five-0 task force were laid to rest today as officials continue to investigate the cause of last week's explosion at Iolani Palace that claimed thirteen lives and left twenty-one people hospitalized. Among those interred today at Oahu Cemetery were task force head Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, Detective Danny Williams, Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly and Officer Kono Kalakaua._

Catherine swallowed hard. She'd talked to Danny once or twice about his wishes should anything ever happen to him. He wanted to be buried in New Jersey. Anyone who knew him would know that. Whoever faked the story wouldn't.

She placed that article face down on top of the first one and moved on to the next.

February 21, 2016

 _Authorities today executed search warrants at several locations across the island related to the ongoing investigation of the explosion at Iolani Palace last November that resulted in thirteen deaths and $20,000,000 in property damage._

Once again Catherine placed that article face down and moved on. But before she could begin reading an article entitled ' _How Oahu Has Changed Without The Presence of Five-0'_ something on the back of the previous article caught her attention.

She swiped at her eyes, conscious of the fact that Dr. Wolfert and Penny were watching her closely, and pulled the tray closer. Thankfully, the adrenaline that accompanied reading the articles, even though they were fake, was helping diminish the effects of the IV sedative.

She let her hair fall down around her face hoping to create a curtain that would obscure where her attention was truly focused. While she pretended to read about current happenings in the investigation her eyes drifted to the back of the previous article.

The one dated February 21, 2016.

' _Ala Moana Mall to Enact Policies Designed to Make Black Friday Run More Smoothly',_ the title of the article proclaimed.

Catherine read on.

 _Ala Moana Mall management today announced they would be putting special parking and traffic flow policies in place to help ensure a smooth Black Friday shopping experience. In addition they would be adding extra security and would even be providing roaming docents to help provide information to shoppers._

" _We have a little over three weeks to get this right and we're confident that by Black Friday everything will be working smoothly._

 _In past years ... "_

'It's always the details that get you,' Catherine thought to herself. Whoever printed the obviously fake article on the reverse side forgot to check what was printed on the back. A story clearly written in November.

She needed time to think.

She turned all the articles back over and looked at the initial pictures of the purported destruction at Iolani Palace one more time. Even though she knew they weren't real she let the emotion of them roll over her. As the tears began to flow she pushed the tray away, rolled onto her side and sobbed.

Dr. Wolfert was clearly looking for a reaction and, if that's what he wanted, she was determined to give it to him. The more he thought things were going his way the more careless he might get.

She wondered if he created articles for Steve's benefit as well, articles that claimed she was among the dead.

Her heart hurt at the thought of him having to see what she'd just seen.

He'd suffered so much pain and loss over the years, spent so much time thinking he'd never have a real family of his own, and now just when all of that pain and all of those fears were beginning to fade, to see something like this would be indescribably painful.

She had to find him.

And she had to do it soon.

* * *

Keone Akuini took a step back, momentarily thrown by the intensity of Danny's reaction. "My brother … you remember him … I mean you never met him, obviously, but he's the one I was fishing with last time … never mind … I'm sure you don't want to talk about that."

Suddenly Danny remembered Keone perfectly. Along with his penchant for going the long way around to get to the point.

Unfortunately, today he didn't have time for that.

"I remember," Danny said, fighting to maintain his composure, "but can we please get to this." He indicated the overhead screens.

"Right," Keone nodded. "My brother Kome works for a printing company running one of their big presses. He's been doing it for years. A few months ago it was bought out by some rich guy. He raised everyone's pay, updated all the machinery, and moved them across town to a fancy new manufacturing facility."

Danny nodded. "Sounds like a good deal."

"I know, right?" Keone agreed. "I mean you almost never hear of something like that happening. Usually when a new owner comes in it's all layoffs and pay cuts. But not this time. And it was a good thing because my brother already has three kids and a fourth on the way."

"So he needs the money. I get it. But … "

"I know," Keone said apologetically. "Get to the point. My wife is always telling me … 'Keone, you take too long' … never mind … that's not important now. What matters is that yesterday my brother finished his regular shift and the boss came by and asked if he could put in a couple extra hours on a special rush job. Offered him double time no matter how many hours it took. So my brother grabbed it. I mean I would have too. Every little bit helps, right?"

"This is what they asked him to print?" Chin asked, pointing to the screens and redirecting Keone's attention back to the matter at hand.

"Yes," Keone nodded emphatically. "But he didn't really know what he was printing at first. I swear. He doesn't have anything to do with writing or anything; he just runs the machines. About halfway through the job one of the big presses jammed and he had to clear the paper by hand. When he did he saw this and … well … he knew something wasn't right."

"What did he do?" Danny asked.

"He wasn't sure what to do. I mean for all he knew it was some kind of prank. Who can tell these days … right? The thing is … this fancy new machine he's running keeps a copy of everything it's printed over the last eight hours. So he grabbed a thumb drive and downloaded it. Just in case someone tried to get him in trouble later. When he got home he called me and I went over. As soon as I saw this stuff … I said man, Kome, this is way out of our league. I knew I had to tell somebody. You were the first person that came to mind. Well, you and Commander McGarrett but ..." he trailed off.

Danny pulled out his phone, dialed a number and waited. "Kono, I need you in the bullpen," he said then hung up without another word.

A few seconds later Kono came down the hall and approached the smart table. "What do you need …" she started then froze as she saw the pictures on the screens. "What's going on?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Danny said, his jaw tight. He turned back to Keone. "Does your brother have any idea who the client was on this job?"

"I don't think so. His boss was the one that asked him to do it. Said it was for someone important though."

"Were the papers delivered or were they picked up?" Chin asked.

"I'm not sure," Keone replied honestly. "Kome said he just did what he was asked then clocked out and went home without asking any questions."

"Would your brother be willing to come down here and answer some questions?" Danny asked.

"I'm sure he would. Do you want me to call him?"

"Please," Danny said.

Keone pulled out his phone and took a few steps away to make the call.

"What in the hell is going on here," Kono asked as she continued to study the screen. "Bombing at the palace? We're all dead? And look at the date on this one," she indicated the picture in the center of the screens, "It's dated next February."

"It gets worse," Chin said as he swiped the next set of articles up onto the screens. _"Steve McGarrett Held for Questioning in Bombing. Five-0 task Force Head Kills Teammates_."

"Go back for a second," Danny said, once again focusing on the first set of articles. "These articles have Catherine as the sole survivor of the blast. They claim all of us, including Steve, are dead. The last one talks about the investigation still being ongoing next February. Now go back to the other ones."

Chin put the second set of articles on the screen and began to scan them for details. "In this set Catherine is among the dead and Steve is implicated in the attack and supposedly in the custody of the U.S. Marshals."

"Do you think someone is trying to gaslight them?" Kono asked, shaking her head as she skimmed the articles, barely able to believe what she was reading.

"It sure looks that way," Danny ground out. "And the bad news is it appears like there are two separate stories going … which means they're probably being held separately."

One of the things Danny had been holding on to was the belief that wherever Steve and Catherine were, they had each other. Alone each was the very definition of a fighter. Strong, brave, willing to take chances. But together they were an unbreakable team.

Two people who think as one.

Who communicate without words.

Who anticipate each other's next move.

Who have supreme confidence in each other's abilities.

If they'd been separated, and worse yet it someone had found a way to convince each the other was dead … it was something Danny hated to even think about. The level of agony each would feel would not only be unbearable but might lead to some sort of rash behavior that would result in their own death.

He had to push that thought out of his mind.

Steve and Catherine were strong. And smart. Probably the two smartest people he'd ever met. They'd each been through years of training. Been drilled on how to survive captivity. He had every reason to be hopeful they would outwit their captors.

Besides, if Danny knew one thing it's that his friends have a connection that defies explanation.

All he could hope was that that connection kicked in now, when they needed it most.

* * *

Darrin Rivera sauntered slowly into Steve's room with a taunting look on his face and a manila folder under his arm. He made his way to the right side of Steve's bed and placed one hand on his weapon. "Are you ready to answer some questions?' he asked menacingly.

"Is my lawyer here?" Steve tossed back, unaffected by the not-so-subtle threat.

"Not yet. I just thought if you're as innocent as you claim to be you might be willing to talk without one."

Rivera moved across the room and grabbed a metal folding chair from the far corner then meandered slowly back to his place beside Steve and took a seat. He placed the file in his lap and leaned back, attempting to give the air of a man without a care in the world. Unfortunately for him the beads of sweat on his upper lip gave him away.

Steve didn't know where they hired this putz to pretend to be a U.S. Marshal, but wherever it was he was never gonna go see a show there. Aside from the bad acting, the fact that he chose to take a seat, thereby putting himself and Steve on an equal level, voluntarily forfeiting the advantage that comes from remaining in a standing position while the person you're questioning sits, or in this case lies down, proved he also didn't know the first thing about law enforcement techniques.

"You said yesterday you weren't going to ask me any questions without my lawyer present."

"I changed my mind." Rivera laced his hands behind his head. "I decided I'd give you a chance to come clean. You tell me everything you know and I can make sure you don't get the death penalty."

'He must have watched a Dirty Harry movie last night,' Steve thought to himself as he fought hard not to roll his eyes.

"As I told you yesterday, I have no idea what you're even talking about so there's no way I can answer any questions."

The twinkle in Rivera's eye told Steve the fake Marshal had found the opening he was looking for.

"Maybe this will refresh your memory," he sneered, tossing the file on the bed.

Steve held his gaze for a minute then opened the folder and turned his attention there.

' _Dozens Killed. Five-0 Commander on the Run'_ , the first headline screamed.

Steve glanced at the article.

 _A bombing at Iolani Palace today claimed the lives of thirteen people including four members of the Five-0 Task Force. Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, Officer Kono Kalakaua and Detective Danny Williams are all among the confirmed dead. Law enforcement is currently searching for Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, head of the task force, who was seen running from the scene immediately before the explosion._

Steve let his eyes drift to the accompanying pictures of bloody bodies laid out on the lawn of Iolani Palace.

He knew they were fake.

If he looked closely enough he might even be able to spot the evidence they were photoshopped.

Still, they were pictures that purported to be the dead bodies of his friends, his teammates, the man he thought of as a brother, and the woman he loved more than anything in the world and whose life he valued more than his own.

It was impossible not to feel something.

His breath caught.

He fought to keep his respirations steady.

He flipped to the next article.

' _Former Naval Intelligence Officer, Five-0 Team Member, Laid to Rest'._

 _A funeral service was held this afternoon for Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, US Navy Reserves, who was killed in the bombing of Iolani Palace last week. She was a graduate of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis and received multiple medals and commendations during her distinguished seventeen year career in Naval Intelligence. She had most recently been working as a member of the Five-0 task force._

 _She is survived by her parents Joseph (a retired Navy Captain) and Elizabeth, who were reportedly too distraught to attend the service amid security concerns raised by the fact that the suspected bomber, their daughter's boyfriend, is still at large._

Steve couldn't read another word.

In that instant he vowed someone would pay.

Dearly.

They could say whatever they wanted about him, but they crossed a line when they dared write about Catherine's death.

And the suffering of her parents.

Even if it was fake, just committing those words to paper was a sin he could not let go unpunished.

He was going to track down the person who did this and make them regret the day they were born.

He flipped to the next article.

' _Former Head of Five-0 Arrested Attempting to Flee the Country'._

 _Police in Los Angeles today arrested the former head of the Five-0 task force attempting to board a flight to South America. He was removed from the plane and handed over to the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security who took over jurisdiction in the case when it was declared an act of domestic terrorism._

Steve tossed the article aside disgustedly and looked at the last one in the pile.

Dated February 21, 2016.

" _Federal Government Prepares to Try Ex-SEAL for Multiple Murders'._

He decided he was done dealing with Rivera. He gathered all the articles and placed them back inside the folder.

He needed some time alone to think.

He hated the thought that Catherine might be subjected to similar articles describing his death as well as that of Chin, Danny and Kono.

His heart ached at the thought of her going through that.

He tossed the folder on the table beside his bed. "I'm not saying anything until my attorney gets here."

"Suit yourself," Rivera said as he got up and headed for the door. He turned right before he got there. "You coulda made it a lot easier on yourself by just talking to me."

"I'll take my chances," Steve retorted.

Right now Rivera was the least of his worries.

It was clear he wasn't the brains of the outfit. He was just a foot soldier.

Steve was after the person in charge.

But first things first.

He needed to find Catherine.

And he needed to do it fast.

 **End Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

ANs in Chapter 1

* * *

 **Together (3/5)**

 _In our togetherness, castles are built- Irish proverb_

"Last check of vitals for the night," Kelly said as she entered Steve's room wearing a smile. Her heels tapped on the floor as she made her way across the room. There was something about the way they made a dull thud as opposed to a sharp click that struck Steve as odd. Of course the fact that she was wearing heels at all was a dead giveaway she wasn't a real nurse and this wasn't a real hospital. "As long as everything looks good I'll leave you alone to get some sleep."

Steve forced as genuine a smile as he possibly could. Kelly seemed like a nice enough girl. He doubted her involvement in whatever was going on ran very deep. More likely she just got in over her head. Probably doing a favor for some worthless boyfriend and didn't even know what was really happening. "Sounds good."

He'd spent every second since Rivera left his room wearing that smug expression planning exactly how he was going to make the fake Marshal, and everyone else responsible, pay for what they'd done. Grabbing him and Catherine from their home, from their own bed, in the middle of the night. Drugging them with sedatives. Creating the images of death and destruction at the palace that, even though he knew they weren't real, would never completely leave his mind.

He closed his eyes and fought against a wave of emotion.

When he found Catherine, and he planned on doing just that very soon, if it turned out she'd been subject to the same emotional manipulation he had, forced to look at pictures and read articles purporting to describe his death, as well as the deaths of friends and colleagues, he wasn't sure he would be able to stop himself from tearing every single person involved to pieces with his bare hands.

But first things first.

He had to find Catherine.

To accomplish that he needed to get out of the bed to which he was currently handcuffed, divest himself of the cast currently encasing his left leg, then make it passed the two armed guards at the door. All while unarmed and wearing a hospital gown. But if it meant getting to Catherine those obstacles were nothing.

"That stuff Marshal Rivera showed you this afternoon, it was tough to look at, huh?" Kelly asked quietly, apparently misreading his anger for sadness.

"Very tough," Steve nodded.

"For what it's worth …" she looked down and fidgeted nervously, "I'm sorry about all this. Sorry you have to go through this."

"You don't think I'm a ruthless killer," Steve smiled wryly. "Apparently Marshal Rivera and Dr. Wolfert do."

"I don't know," Kelly shrugged. "I mean you don't seem like one but … that isn't my decision to make. I just wanted you to know … I'm really sorry."

"Thank you," Steve said sincerely and just for a second his heart went out to her. What she was involved in was criminal but judging from the sincerity of her apology he really did get the feeling she'd had no idea of the enormity of what she was being asked to do.

"I better check your vital signs or Dr. Wolfert will think I'm not doing my job," she said in an attempt to break the tension.

"Well we wouldn't want that," Steve responded.

"Your heart sounds good," she smiled and it was all Steve could do not to tell her she was holding the stethoscope against the wrong side of his chest. She checked his temperature with an ear thermometer then picked up his wrist and pretended to take his pulse. Once she was through she grabbed his chart from the foot of the bed and started making notes.

Steve saw an opportunity to move his plan forward and grabbed it. He raised his free hand quickly and slapped at the back of the clipboard which clattered loudly to the floor. The noise drew the attention of the guards in the hallway who stood up immediately and placed their hands on their weapons.

"I'm so sorry," Steve said, his words falling out in a rush. He pulled his arm back and curled it against his chest. "There was a spider on the back of the clipboard and it was really close to your finger and I … well … I guess I just reacted."

"A spider?" Kelly looked frantically at her hands then at her scrubs. "Are you sure? Is it gone?"

"I'm positive," Steve nodded. "I don't see it anymore. I'm not sure where it went. I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hit the clipboard so hard and I certainly didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok." Kelly regained her composure and waved off the two guards who returned to their seats. "You just surprised me. No harm done."

"Thanks," Steve smiled.

As Kelly composed herself and leaned over to pick up the clipboard from the floor Steve deftly grabbed a pen she had clipped to the pocket of her scrubs, palmed it, and hid it under the blankets.

"Is there anything else you need before I say goodnight?" she asked as she moved to the foot of the bed and replaced the chart in its holder.

"No, I'm good. Thanks. As long as the spider doesn't get me," Steve joked.

Kelly chuckled. "Let's hope it doesn't. Get some sleep, Commander. I'll see you in the morning."

She took one last look around the room, turned out the lights, said goodnight to the guards then headed down the hallway. Steve waited five minutes to be sure she was gone then put his plan in motion.

He retrieved the pen from under his blankets and quickly removed the exterior clip, placing the rest of the pen under his pillow to avoid any chance of it getting knocked off the bed and alerting the guards. Using just the small amount of light coming in from the hallway he located the lock on the cuff around his wrist and, in a matter of seconds, picked the lock and freed himself. Being extremely careful not to bang the metal against the bedrails he made quick work of the second lock then placed the cuffs under his pillow.

He laid back for a minute and flexed his wrist to relieve the stiffness caused by so much time in restraints. As he began plotting his next move he heard the voices of the guards begin to rise. He remained completely still, waiting to see exactly what was going on.

"You cheat, man," one of the men accused good-naturedly. "You leaned all the way forward before you threw that. My grandmother could make it if she leaned as far as you did."

"You're crazy," the other guard said defensively. "That was a regulation throw. King of clubs in the hat fair and square. I'm the one who taught you how to play this game now you're gonna lecture me on the rules?"

"You're crazy," the first man scoffed. "You're the only guy I know who can cheat at throwing cards into a hat. Let's go double or nothin', and this time you have to keep your back against the chair when you throw. I'm gonna be watching extra close."

"You do that," the second man responded. "Double or nothin' sounds good to me. I got a car payment due in a few days. I'll be happy to take your money."

Steve breathed a sigh of relief. They were obviously involved in their game and weren't paying the least bit of attention to him, which was good. Because now came the part that was going to require a little more movement and carried a much higher risk of detection.

He had to get rid of the cast..

He reached under his pillow and located the dental floss he stowed there previously. It had always been his experience that waxed floss was one of the handiest tools a person could have with them in the field. It was good for everything from sewing up a wound to setting a trap to choking out an enemy. And in a pinch it made a passable cutting tool.

He wrapped one end tightly around each forefinger and tested the strength. Three hard pulls and it didn't break. Which was exactly what he was hoping for.

He glanced furtively towards the door to make sure the guards were still occupied then pushed back the blanket and began to move the floss back and forth over the knee area of his cast like a saw. After just a few minutes he was able to build up enough friction that the floss began cutting into the plaster. The more friction he created the more heat built up and the faster the floss cut.

He continued the back and forth motion as quickly as he could, looking towards the door every few minutes to make sure the guards were still oblivious to what he was doing. As soon as he felt the floss against his knee, indicating he'd managed to get all the way through the plaster, he tossed it aside and reached under the pillow for the handcuffs.

* * *

Chin and Kono entered the bullpen and stopped short when they saw Danny pacing back and forth as he held his cell phone to his ear. They'd all been on edge since they discovered Steve and Catherine were missing, but Danny moreso than anyone. Maybe it was the knowledge that his best friends were out there somewhere, being subjected to who knows what kind of physical and emotional torture, combined with the crushing weight of being the person in charge of the investigation. Whatever the exact reasons, the pressure was starting to take it's toll.

The glass surface of the smart table was covered with reports from each of the forensic teams that searched the beach house. Hundreds of pages of text along with stacks and stacks of pictures. Danny was combing through every word and every image looking for that one piece of information that might lead them to whoever did this.

"I understand completely … yes ... I understand … I can only imagine … yes ...I'll do that. Goodbye." He tossed the phone on the smart table with a frustrated huff. When he turned around and saw the cousins he growled, "Joseph Rollins is about ten minutes away from getting on a plane and coming here so he can take this island apart piece by piece and find his daughter. And you know what … I don't blame him."

Kono grimaced. "Did you tell him about the articles?"

"Would you have?" Danny asked pointedly.

Chin and Kono were saved from having to answer that question when Danny's phone rang again. He glanced at the screen. "It's Esther." He connected the call and tried not to take his current level of anger and frustration out on her. "Is everything ok?" he asked without preamble.

"Everything's fine." Esther sounded somewhat out of breath. "The vet called with the lab reports while I had Cammie out for a walk and I ran all the way home because my phone is dying and I wanted to make sure I got you the information as fast as I could."

"Ok, just take a deep breath and relax for a few seconds," Danny said. "What did the vet say?"

He heard Esther exhale. "I explained to her how important this was, how it might be a clue to help find Steve and Catherine, and she wanted to help so she asked the lab to rush the results. She even stayed in her office late waiting for them to call."

"That was very nice of her," Danny said sincerely.

"She said she'll be happy to fax a copy of the report over to you if you want, but in the meantime she told me what the lab found. Cammie was definitely gassed by nitrous oxide. Kind of like the stuff you get in the dentist's office but stronger. More concentrated."

Danny remembered the odor on Cammie's fur. "I thought it was probably something like that," he said, his jaw tight. It was clear from the amount of residue in Cammie's fur that whoever released the gas in the house wanted to make sure it worked fast so they used a massive dose. It was very likely Steve and Catherine, even with all their training, never even had a chance to react before they were overcome. Danny's biggest question was how someone got passed the alarm. But that was a matter for another day.

"How's Cammie doing?" he asked.

"Good. As far as the gas goes that is ... the vet said she'll make a full recovery. She misses Steve and Catherine though. Every time we go outside she looks at my car like she's hoping I'm taking her home. I've been trying to keep her occupied so she doesn't think about it too much."

"That's good." Danny couldn't help but smile at the image in his head of Esther trying to distract Cammie. "I really appreciate you stepping up. It's been a load off my mind knowing Cammie is being well taken care of."

"You're very welcome." Esther deflected the compliment as she usually did. "I'm glad to do it. Is there any word at all on Steve and Catherine?" she asked hopefully.

"We're starting to make some progress," Danny said vaguely. "I'll let you know as soon as we have anything concrete. Look … I gotta go … thanks for the information and I'll talk to you soon."

He disconnected the call and looked at Chin and Kono. "Please tell me I did not just lie to Esther."

"You didn't," Chin nodded decisively. "I think we're definitely on to something."

"Finally." Danny clapped his hands together. "What is it?"

"Turns out the printing company Kome Akuini works for was bought out by a firm called Liber International, whose chairman of the board just happens to be none other than … Anton Sinclair."

"You don't say," Danny deadpanned.

"Both Kome and Keone mentioned the money that had been poured into the company since the takeover." Chin moved to the smart table and, after pushing a few things aside, began calling up documents. "Increased salary and benefits, new machines, new facilities … that's a lot of money to pour into a company whose biggest accounts are a few local newspapers, some tourism magazines and the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce. The company has been just scraping by for years. And when I checked their financials from the last ninety days they don't seem to have added any new accounts or increased output in any way."

"So where's all the capital for the new goodies coming from?" Danny asked as his eyes scanned the overhead screens.

"My question exactly," Chin nodded. "I tapped some of my contacts and word is Sinclair is running a pretty lucrative document forgery business and using the printing company as a front. It looks like the print company employees have no idea what's going on. They're still doing the same kind of work they always did, just getting paid better. Which I'm guessing is to help keep them from asking too many questions."

"How is an illegal doc shop gonna help us find Steve and Catherine?" Danny gripped the edge of the table in irritation.

"This is where it gets interesting," Kono picked up the story. She swiped a picture up onto the screen. "This is Frank Sacia. Worked his way up through the Chicago mob doing everything from running numbers to gun smuggling. Eventually took over most of the illegal document trade in the western half of the U.S. About five years ago the heat was on so he moved the whole operation to Oahu. But it turns out he hates sun and sand. He's been looking to get out for a while now."

"Enter Anton Sinclair," Danny guessed.

"Exactly," Kono grinned. "He bought the whole operation with one caveat. Sacia had to stay on for six months to make sure the customers don't get skittish about new ownership."

"According to my CI," Chin continued, "Sacia sent one of his lackeys to the plant on Monday demanding they stop whatever they were doing and print project right away. When the head pressman told him the machines weren't set for the kind of printing he needed and that the changeover would take several hours he broke the cardinal rule of separation and asked to have the legit side of the business do the job."

"Which is how Kome Akiuni ended up involved," Danny said as another piece of the puzzle slid into place.

"Exactly. When the job was done they called Sacia to let him know and he sent someone to pick it up. My CI thinks he might be able to get a lead on the courier's name. He's gonna call as soon as he knows anything."

"Push him as hard as you can," Danny said. "This Sacia guy has to know where Steve and Catherine are. I wanna talk to him. Also, call a judge and see if this is enough to get us a tap on Sinclair's phone."

"Will do," Chin said as he headed back towards the conference room.

"I talked to the EMTs that treated Judge Okala's daughter. The second ones," Kono said. "Turns out they were so appalled by the treatment the first team gave they called to make a report. All they really knew for sure was that the ambulance was from a private service called Life Force. So that's where they called to complain."

"Did they get names?" Danny asked impatiently.

"Not yet. Turns out Life Force Ambulance Service didn't take any calls in the same area as the accident that night."

"Are we sure they're not just covering their asses?"

"Positive. I talked to the supervisor and he sent over their logs. Each one corresponds to a 911 call. They weren't doctored. It definitely wasn't one of their teams."

"Then how do you explain it?"

"According to the guy I talked to they bought a new ambulance a few weeks ago. Has all kinds of extra bells and whistles. They sold the old one to a broker who takes them to the auction then keeps a percentage of whatever they sell for and gives the rest back to the ambulance company. The deal is new owners are supposed to have the paint job redone right away."

"Which any legitimate buyer most likely would have done," Danny said. "So who other than a legitimate buyer would need a used ambulance? Unless … maybe it was someone looking to transport unconscious people without drawing attention."

"But if that's what they were up to why would they have stopped at the scene of the judge's daughter's accident?"

"I don't know. Why do people do a lot of the stupid things they do?" Danny stalked determinedly down the hall towards the conference room. "Let's the find the buyer and ask."

* * *

Catherine studied the beam of light coming through the crack in the blackout curtains covering the window opposite her bed carefully. There was something strange about it. Something she was having trouble putting her finger on.

One of the guards had come in earlier to change a burned out lightbulb in the overhead light and as he stepped up onto a chair to reach it he jostled the curtains slightly. Catherine strained to see out but it was no use.

Nurse Penny performed her final check and retired for the night about ten minutes earlier, reminding Catherine on her way out the door she was available for any emergencies that might come up during the night. She was no sooner out the door than Catherine removed her IV and once again plunged the needle into the mattress.

She was determined not to spend another night in bed, doing nothing to help get herself out of her current situation. She was going to get up and and she was going to find Steve, whatever it took. After that they would find their way out of this mess together.

She looked towards the door and saw the shadows of her two guards on the floor.

She turned back to the window. There was no way she could open it, even just to look out, without drawing unwanted attention. She focused on the light coming through the crack again. Something about it wasn't quite right.

She knew the sedative was playing games with her mind. If she could just focus ….she squeezed her eyes closed in frustration.

'You can do this,' she reminded herself as she took a few deep breaths. 'Just concentrate.'

When she opened her eyes again her gaze landed on a rather large vent, a few inches above floor level, on the wall, to the right of the window. She hadn't noticed it before because there was a chair pushed in front of it. But after changing the lightbulb the guard pushed the chair further down.

Suddenly everything started to fall into place.

She knew what was strange about the light coming through the window. It wasn't the pure white light of a moonbeam. It had a silver cast to it.

Her heart rate sped up.

What she was seeing wasn't direct moonlight. It was moonlight reflected off a large piece of metal. Like the kind of exterior ductwork often found on commercial buildings.

But never hospitals. Too much of a chance of contamination and too easy to spread germs from one floor to another. No, this was a warehouse of some sort. Or a factory. Which was good news for her. It meant the ductwork on the other side of that vent was very likely meant for industrial ventilation. Which also meant it would be large enough for her to fit in easily.

This was her chance.

No time to be timid.

She couldn't chance making any noise by lowering the bed rail so, after checking the guards and taking note of the fact that both shadows indicated they were glued to their phones, she slipped quietly over the handrail and crouched on the floor beside the bed.

She studied the vent. There was limited light to work with but it appeared as though the cover was attached with finger latches rather than screws. A common practice in buildings where the ductwork needed regular cleaning due to the heavy exhaust or a high dust level.

Not too long after she joined Five-0 the team investigated a man found dead in exterior ductwork at a coffee processing plant. In the end the death was ruled accidental, but during the hours spent on-site before that determination was made Catherine learned more than she ever thought she'd need to know about exterior ductwork from a very dour safety officer named Howard.

Tonight she was thanking Howard for every single word.

One of the things she remembered most clearly was that each span of ductwork, as required by building code, had a sprinkler line that ran its entire length in case of fire or toxic gas release. In case of any such emergency the line could be used to flood the shaft quickly. She hoped whoever built this structure was as much of sticker for safety as Howard.

She crawled slowly across the floor, stopping every few feet to make sure the guards weren't watching. She was so close to freedom she could feel it and the last thing she wanted was to lose her chance at escape because of her own carelessness.

After twenty painstaking minutes she found herself directly in front of the vent. It _was_ equipped with hand latches, just as she thought. Which meant she wouldn't need any special tools to get it open. She tested the latches, pressing them very slowly, and the vent cover fell forward with little to no noise.

Catherine peered into the hole in the wall and saw nothing but darkness. She moved closer and reached her hand inside. She felt around for a few seconds and then it happened, her hand landed on something cool and round. Like a water pipe. She investigated as best she could under the circumstances. She moved her hand up and down the few feet the opening would allow and the pipe felt continuous. It also felt solid. Strong enough to hold her weight she hoped.

Without a second thought she slid through the vent opening and grasped onto the pipe. She rejoiced when it held. She locked her feet to hold herself in place and ever so gently reached back through the opening, lifted up the vent by the louvres, and slid it back into place, listening for the soft click of the latches. She hoped no one would notice she was gone for hours but in case they did, she didn't want to make it obvious how she had escaped.

'Up or down,' she asked herself.

It only took a second to decide on up. If she headed down she might find herself trapped in a basement with no way to escape and no way to get to Steve. She made a mental note to thank all her instructors at the Academy who made made the midshipmen climb the ropes over and over. Come to think of it the rope climb was where she always gained the time she needed to beat Royce and Watkins.

'Take that, boys,' she smiled to herself as she ascended into the darkness above her head.

* * *

Danny, Chin and Kono sat at the long table in the conference room searching through every document available on the criminal enterprises headed by Anton Sinclair. Police reports. Notes from Frank Kaewa's investigators. Lab reports. Any scrap of paper that related to him in any way was right there in front of them. Scattered amongst the papers were countless paper coffee cups and take out containers, a stark reminder of the long hours since any of them had slept.

They were being aided in the search by half a dozen HPD officers, who were also working around the clock to help find Steve and Catherine. Several times Chin had offered the couch in his office to the men for a nap but each time they all refused. They were using every investigative technique they knew; checking and cross-checking every piece of information.

"I think I have something," Danny said as he stared at the screen of his laptop. "I was googling the names of some of the companies Sinclair bought recently. It looks like the DEA issued a summons against one of them … a drug company called Libertas Pharmaceuticals. According to this they're in hot water for failing to account for several shipments of controlled substances they received. The DEA did an inspection and the drugs were nowhere to be found. There was no paperwork indicating they'd been sold."

"What were the drugs?" Chin asked.

"Nitrous oxide and ketamine," Danny replied. "We know from the vet's report that nitrous oxide was most likely what was used to subdue Steve and Catherine."

Chin tapped rapidly on his tablet. "And according to the DEA website ketamine is a drug used to keep patients under moderate sedation. It can be used recreationally but is most often administered by IV to keep a patient calm though, and bring on extended periods of sleep, but not to render them completely unconscious."

Danny took several deep breaths and fought the urge to punch a hole in the wall. The thought of Steve and Catherine drugged up and held against their will made his blood boil. He was going to find the bastards who did this and when he did, he was more than willing to forget he was a sworn officer of the law.

"Wait a minute ... " Kono began to search through the papers in front of her. "I saw something earlier…. It was a large order of hospital equipment for another one of Sinclair's new companies ...AHA, here it is … Freedom Hospital Supply. The bulk of the order went to a warehouse on the other side of the island but a small part of the delivery was diverted to an abandoned factory down on the docks."

"What kind of hospital equipment?" Danny moved to stand behind Kono and read over her shoulder.

"It doesn't say exactly," she replied as she scrolled through the shipping orders, "But what kind of hospital equipment could they possibly need at an abandoned factory?"

"Let's get a team down there to look around and check things out," Danny said. "2300 Aimikana Way."

Before Chin could dial HPD his phone buzzed with an incoming call. "Kelly," he answered brusquely. He listened for a few seconds then asked, "What's the address?" listened for a few more, said "Thanks," and hung up.

"That was my CI. The courier who delivered the fake newspapers delivered them to 2300 Aimikana Way."

"Find me a parking lot at least a couple of blocks away we can use as a staging area," Danny said as he moved towards the door. "No use giving them advance notice we're coming. I don't want to tip our hand until we know exactly what we're up against. Call both SWAT and the HPD Tactical Unit and get me two full assault teams ready to take the building. We meet up in thirty minutes. Nobody makes a move until I give the word. Let's go get Steve and Catherine back."

* * *

As soon as Steve created an opening in the plaster he dropped the dental floss and picked up the handcuffs. The guards were still deep into their game and paying no attention to him at all as he spun one of the cuffs all the way through until it resembled a hook. He pressed the edge into the opening in the cast and felt the plaster crumble like sand the second he applied pressure. He pulled upward and watched as the metal cuffs created a wide gash the entire length of his thigh. Apparently whoever applied the cast hadn't bothered to reinforce it with gauze strips.

Once he reached the top he put the cuffs aside, tugged the edges of the opening in the plaster apart, removed the upper section of the cast and shoved it under the blankets to keep it out of the way. He then turned his attention to the lower section. With just a little leverage he figured his foot should slide out fairly easily.

He remembered a boy in his fourth grade class, Jeffrey something, who broke his ankle but used to pull his foot out of the cast every day at recess so he could join in whatever game the other kids were playing. After getting caught a few times, Jeffrey had to spend his recess period sitting beside the teacher until his cast came off.

Steve placed his right foot firmly against the ankle section of the cast to hold it steady and began to work his leg out slowly. It took a little maneuvering but after a few minutes he was able to work his foot passed the bend in the cast. Just as he pulled his leg free he heard the men in the hall again.

"I'm going to the vending machine. You want anything?"

"Yeah, but you're buying since you took all my money. I want a couple packages of sweet buns and a Mountain Dew. That oughta keep me awake for the rest of the shift."

"Do they have sweet buns in the machine?"

"You have to go down to the first floor. They're in that one."

"Since I'm going down anyway do you mind if I grab a smoke while I'm there?"

"No problem. Take your time. Everything's quiet here."

Steve couldn't believe his luck.

But he also wasn't about to question it.

As soon as he heard a door close in the distance, indicating the first guard was on his way downstairs, he made his move. He grabbed the water pitcher from the table beside his bed along with the handcuffs, slipped quietly over the side rail and made his way to just inside the door, taking care to keep himself hidden from anyone who might pass by in the hall. Once there he tossed the pitcher towards the other side of the room and waited.

The reaction was exactly what he expected. The lone guard left on duty rushed into the room, weapon drawn. Steve grabbed him from behind and choked him to unconsciousness. He then lowered the man to the floor, cuffed him to the leg of the room's other bed and grabbed his weapon from his hand.

He listened carefully to see if the scuffle had drawn any attention and when he heard nothing he stuck his head out into the hall. He immediately realized just how much of an illusion the "hospital" really was. Ten feet on either side of his door had been built out painted to look like your average hospital. Steve guessed that was in case he managed to sit up and see out the door. But a closer inspection showed the walls were nothing more than plywood dividers and the floors were actually cheap linoleum.

Beyond that twenty foot zone the building was clearly some sort of abandoned factory. Dirty, rundown, with broken windows everywhere he looked and wires hanging from the ceiling.

As far as Steve could tell there was no one else on the floor. It sounded as if the other guard headed for the door on his left so he darted across the wide open expanse towards the other end of the room.

Once there he opened the door slowly and when he didn't see anyone he stepped into the stairway. He thought for a second about which direction to go but then a voice in his head, a voice he could swear sounded like Catherine's, began chanting UP UP UP.

So that was where he headed.

Two floors later he cautiously opened a door, gun raised, and saw what appeared to be a completely abandoned floor with only a smattering of emergency bulbs providing light. The only area that appeared fully illuminated was a makeshift room about twenty feet inside the door on the left. Steve crept in silently and made his way towards the light. He felt the cold steel of the gun's trigger under his finger as he stepped into the doorway but the room, which looked to be some sort of locker room or changing area, was empty.

In the corner he spotted a pile of clothes. He made his way into the room and quickly changed out of his hospital gown and into an ill fitting pair of green scrubs. He grabbed another pair off the pile and left the room.

He decided to check the stairway at the other end of the building to see if he could hear activity coming from any of the other floors. If not, he'd have to search floor by floor for Catherine.

He was focused solely on that one thought, and the idea of seeing her again, as he began to make his way across the abandoned factory floor. About halfway to his destination he saw movement on his left and raised his weapon.

"Oh God."

* * *

Catherine shimmied up the pipe as fast as she could go trying to make as little noise as possible. If she bumped against the ductwork itself, even slightly, she could create a sound that would reverberate through every floor and give away her position.

More than once her gown got caught on the sharp end of screws that had been used to join the sections of gray metal. On a few occasions the screws pierced her skin. Each time she simply pulled the gown loose and kept moving.

After a few minutes of climbing she passed a covered opening exactly like the one in her so-called hospital room. She peered out through the vent but couldn't see much. She wasn't sure if that was due to lack of light or if something was pushed in front of the opening. She thought about trying to remove the vent cover but decided to climb one more floor in an effort to put some distance between herself and the guards. Several minutes later she arrived at her destination.

Once again she braced her feet so she could have full use of her hands. This time she quickly bent the vent's louvres to allow herself to get a hand through, flipped the release latches and carefully lowered the vent cover to the floor. She pushed it out of the way then stuck her head and upper body out of the hole. She didn't see or hear anyone so she turned around, braced her hands against the wall and pulled her lower body out as well.

The room was dark so she gave herself a few minutes to acclimate. As far she she could tell it was a storage area of some kind. Lots of paint cans and buckets, a few dozen chairs stacked together, cardboard boxes full of heaven knows what. She looked around for something, anything, she could use as a weapon but the best she could come up with was an old mop handle.

It'd have to do.

She made her way cautiously across the room, which she now realized was less of an actual room and more of an old workstation. Her goal was a sliver of light she saw near the far end of the building. Assuming it was a door she headed in that direction.

She needed to get the lay of the land so she could figure out where they were holding Steve.

With her mind focused on that one task she stepped out into the darkness. Seconds after she left the safety of the enclosed workspace and entered the larger room she sensed movement to her right and raised the mop handle, ready for battle.

Just as she was about to swing at the stranger's head she stopped.

Even though she could only see him in silhouette she knew this was no stranger.

"Oh thank God," she said before hurling herself into his arms. "I was so worried. I was coming to find you."

"I was coming to find you," he said as he held her tightly. "Are you ok?" He held her body just slightly away from him and searched for any signs of injury.

"I'm fine," she insisted and he pulled her back into his arms. "You?"

"I'm fine," he whispered.

"I love you," they said simultaneously, then kissed as if their lips were drawn together by magnets.

After allowing herself to luxuriate in the feel of him for a few moments Catherine pulled back.

"Everything here is fake. The hospital. The pictures. The articles." She fought back tears as she looked at him. "Did they show you pictures?"

He nodded, too choked up to speak and pulled her back against him. "I'm gonna make them pay, Cath, for the things they did to you. For what they put you through."

She leaned her head back and looked him in the eyes. "Me?" she said softly. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me," he leaned in and kissed her passionately.

"I do worry about you." She pulled his head down for another quick kiss. "And I always will."

She ran her fingers softly over the contours of his face.

"So whatta you say we go and make these guys pay for what they did to _us_ , Commander?"

He beamed at her. "I say let's do it."

 **End Chapter 3**


	4. Chapter 4

ANs in Chapter 1

* * *

 **Together (4/5)**

 _In our togetherness, castles are built- Irish proverb_

"Here, put these on," Steve said as he tossed Catherine the extra pair of scrubs he grabbed from the locker room earlier.

"Thanks," she smiled. "This gown was starting to get a little drafty." She looked down and saw patches of soot smudged on the material. "Plus I don't think that ductwork has been cleaned in a really long time.".

Steve quirked an eyebrow. "Ductwork?"

"I'm very resourceful," she grinned.

Now that his eyes were adjusted to the low light, he noticed several blood trails on Catherine's legs and arms as she tossed the gown aside and donned the pilfered scrubs. "You're bleeding," he said, voice laced with concern as he reached for her.

"It's nothing," she assured him, grabbing his hand in mid-air. "Just a couple small cuts."

"We're getting those looked at later." His tone left no room for debate. "If that ductwork was dirty those could easily get infected.

She pulled his head down and kissed him softly, letting her hand linger on his cheek. "I'll get them checked out. Just for you. But first we have to get out of here. Any ideas?"

"Were you being held above this floor or below?" he asked.

"Below."

"Me too," Steve nodded thoughtfully. "We could head for the roof but once we get there we have no idea what we'll find. For all we know we're miles from anywhere and we might not be able to signal for help."

"So down it is," Catherine nodded as she tied the string on the scrub pants and picked up her mop handle. "Hopefully we can get out before they even know we're missing."

They were ten steps towards the stairwell when the air was abruptly filled with the shrill sound of an alarm siren.

"I think they know we're missing," Steve deadpanned.

"This is a big structure," Catherine said as they continued to move towards the door. "They have no idea where we are. It's like a giant game of cat and mouse. So let's be the cats, not the mice."

They reached the door to the stairwell and Steve went through first, gun raised, scanning the area both above and below for any signs of life. When he was sure it was clear he nodded and Catherine stepped out behind him.

Two seconds later every light in the building went out and the stairway was plunged into total darkness.

"What now, kitty?" he asked with a teasing tone.

Catherine sighed. "Well … ok ... this complicates things a little."

* * *

Danny huddled up with Chin, Kono, Grover and Duke at the far end of the parking lot as dozens of HPD and SWAT officers behind them donned their tactical gear and prepared for an assault. The night was slightly overcast but it looked as though the rain was going to hold off, which was a very good thing. The less complications to deal with the better.

"The building is an old furniture manufacturing plant," Duke said. "It's been abandoned since the early nineties. Anton Sinclair purchased it a few months ago but so far hasn't applied for any occupancy or usage permits."

"How many floors?" Danny asked.

"Eight."

"That's a lot of ground to cover." Grover shook his head. "Do we know if there are any working elevators?"

"We don't think so," Duke replied. "But we can't be sure."

"I say we work in smaller teams so we can cover more ground," Danny proposed and everyone nodded their agreement. He looked at Duke and Grover."Tell your entry teams not to engage unless absolutely necessary. Their main objective is to find Steve and Catherine."

"Got it," the men replied simultaneously.

Danny tightened the straps on his TAC vest. "I want every available officer not on one of the entry teams stationed in the lobby and parking lot to take care of anyone who tries to flee the building. Everyone gets stopped and taken downtown. We'll sort them out there."

"We've got plenty of manpower," Duke assured him. "We can handle it. I'll get some wagons here to handle transport."

Suddenly a young, uniformed officer came running up to the group. "We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Danny asked warily.

"We sent a couple of men ahead to scout out the building and they just radioed back that there's an alarm going off and the whole place has gone dark."

Grover turned and called to all the entry teams. "Everyone get your night vision goggles and extra flashlights. We're going to be working in low light conditions."

"Sounds like the situation is deteriorating." Danny made one final visual check of his own equipment. "We have to find out what's going on inside that building right now."

* * *

Frank Sacia tore off the white lab coat he'd been wearing for the last several days and tossed it in the corner of the dingy cubicle that had been serving as his office as the building alarm finally fell silent. He was done with the Dr. Wolfert personality. It brought him nothing but trouble.

The only thing he could think about now was getting out of the building and off the island. He used his cell phone to illuminate the shelves in the room hoping to find a flashlight. He'd never make it down two flights of steps to the ground floor without it.

As he searched his phone buzzed with an incoming call. He answered without even bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Sacia."

" _What did you do with that ambulance I loaned you?"_

"Nothing except what I told you I was going to do," he replied testily. He was in no mood to deal with another crisis.

" _Then how come I have police, Five-0 no less, calling me demanding to know why that ambulance stopped at the scene of an accident Sunday night?"_

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

" _I told you I needed it back safe and sound Monday morning to take to the auction."_

"And you had it back." Sacia gave up his search for a flashlight and decided he'd just have to use the light of his phone. "Now if you don't mind I have something more pressing to deal with right now."

" _I had it back AFTER it apparently stopped at the scene of an accident on Sunday night where your guys actually tried to treat an injured woman. A judge's daughter no less."_

Just like that he had Sacia's full attention. "Are you sure?"

" _Positive. When they pulled her out the car they opened a gash in her thigh and she almost bled to death."_

"And it was definitely a judge's daughter?"

" _Yes. Aren't you listening? I appreciate you offering to forgive the interest on the ten grand I borrowed to keep my business afloat last year but … I'm sorry … I'm not going to jail for anyone."_

"Convince them someone must have stolen it and returned it without you knowing and I'll forgive the principal on the loan as well."

It was Sacia's experience that people desperate for money could be talked into almost anything. After a few seconds of silence the person on the other end of the phone spoke again.

" _100% free and clear? I owe you nothing?"_

"Not a dime."

There was another short hesitation.

" _Fine. I'll do it."_

"I thought so," Sacia said triumphantly. "Now I think it would be better for both of us if we don't have any more contact. Lose my number and forget you ever met me."

Without another word he disconnected the call and dialed a familiar number. "Hey, it's me. Do me a favor and make sure you grab all the IV bags and anything that might have any traces of ketamine on it. We don't need the DEA on our backs on top of everything else."

" _Already done. They can search all they want but they won't find a trace."_

"Perfect. Meet me on the ground floor near the door in the back in ten car is parked right outside. We're going straight to the airport and we'll buy anything we need once we land in Chicago."

" _Sounds perfect. I'm on my way."_

* * *

"Is that a police siren?" Catherine asked as they made their way carefully down the stairs towards the ground floor.

Steve listened for a few seconds. "I think so. Sounds like they're getting close."

"Danny always did have perfect timing."

Steve slowed as they approached a landing and once again listened for any movement. "These last couple of days must have been tough on him. Chin and Kono too."

Catherine nodded in agreement. "I'm sure they were. But was there ever any doubt in your mind they'd find us?"

Steve shook his head. "Not even for a second."

"Same here."

"Steve … do you …" Catherine started hesitantly then trailed off as they continued their journey downward.

"Do I what?"

"Do you think they … hurt Cammie?" The very thought was enough to make her sick to her stomach.

"If they touched a hair on her head," Steve said angrily, "I won't be responsible for my actions."

"Hopefully she's safe and sound with Esther or Grace." Catherine was going to choose to believe the best until she head reason not to.

Before Steve could reply the sound of Danny's voice over an amplified bullhorn rang out.

" _This is the police. Throw down your weapons and exit the building immediately or we will be coming in."_

"I guess it's go time," Steve said.

"I only saw two armed men, the guards outside my door, what about you?" Catherine asked as she felt her way along the dark stairway.

"Same here, two guards, though I took _this_ gun off one of them, plus I saw one very fake U.S Marshal. But we have no way of knowing what else they might have stashed in the building in terms of firepower."

" _The building is completely surrounded. There's no way out. Let's end this before anyone gets hurt,"_ Danny's voice rang out again.

Suddenly the door on the landing above them slid slowly open and the beam of a flashlight illuminated the area. Steve and Catherine wheeled around and found themselves face-to-face with Penny and Kelly.

* * *

" _What the hell is going on there? You told me you had everything under control. Now all the sudden I hear on the scanner every cop car on the island is headed your way."_

"I had everything under control," Sacia said angrily into the phone as he gathered up a few last pieces of evidence that could tie him to the operation and shoved them in a bag. "If the trial had gone off as planned we'd all be home free by now. I'd be back in Chicago eating deep dish pizza and watching the leaves fall off the trees."

" _It's not my fault the judge's daughter got into an accident. Despite my best efforts some things are out of my control."_

"Are you sure about that?" Sacia was in no mood to placate anyone, no matter how powerful they might be. If it wasn't for Anton Sinclair's insistence he stay on for a six-month transition period for the document business Sacia would have been long gone before any of this mess even started.

" _What's that supposed to mean?"_

"It means the two guys you sent along to drive the ambulance and transport McGarrett and Rollins are idiots."

" _How do you figure?"_

"Looks like they stopped at the scene of an accident on their way back here. But it wasn't just any accident. It involved Judge Okala's daughter."

Sacia reveled in the silence on the other end of the phone. He could almost picture the look on Sinclair's face as the reality of what had happened settled in.

" _You're making that up."_

"No, I'm not," Sacia said with a self-satisfied grin. "They stopped at the scene of the accident and when they pulled the judge's kid from the car they made her injuries worse. If they'd have just left well enough alone this would all be over."

" _Those idiots!"_

"Idiots that were hand-chosen by you," Sacia spat out. "My guys would have never made such a stupid mistake."

" _I want you to find the two of them and bring them to me right away."_

"Sorry. I don't take orders from you anymore. I'm gonna save my own ass and I couldn't care less what happens to anyone else."

He could still hear Sinclair yelling as he disconnected the call and dropped the phone is his bag. He'd have to remember to drop it in the ocean on his way off the island.

He walked out of the office without a backward glance.

"Chicago here I come."

* * *

"Oh, Commander McGarrett, you scared me," Kelly said as her hand fluttered to her chest. " I mean … well, we all heard you'd escaped but … and this must be Lieutenant Rollins … ummmm...everyone is looking for you."

Catherine looked on as the flustered woman on the landing above babbled to Steve. Under different circumstances she might have teased him about another case of McGarrett-itis but this clearly wasn't the time. Still, there was no doubt the pretty, young blonde had come down with a mild case.

"Catherine, this is Kelly," he said. "She was my nurse, although … something tells me that was just an act. You're not really a nurse are you?"

She twisted her hands together. "What gave me away?"

What Steve thought was 'Many things', but what he actually said was, "It's not important."

"And this is Nurse Penny," Catherine said, indicating the older woman.

"I have no idea what's going on here. I'm just … I'm so frightened and I want to go home," Penny said.

Something in the woman's tone caught Steve's attention and when he glanced at Catherine he could see she noticed it as well.

"There's not really time to explain," Steve said, glancing between Penny and Kelly. "You ladies are coming with us. We'll sort everything out once we get out of the building. You can tell the police your stories and I'm sure if you didn't know what was actually happening they'll be willing to make you a deal."

"Thanks, Commander," Kelly said gratefully.

"Yes, thank you," Penny chimed in.

With the aid of Penny's flashlight they made much better time as they headed for the ground floor and within minutes they reached the bottom of the stairway. Steve pulled open the heavy door leading the main factory floor and they all stepped through it.

"I'm afraid this is where we part ways," Penny said and Steve turned just in time to see her raise her weapon and point it directly at Catherine's head.

"What are you doing?" Kelly asked frantically, a look of horror on her face.

"I'm getting out of here and heading to Chicago with the man I love," Penny sneered. "And if I have to kill all three of you to make that happen I'm more than happy to do so."

"You don't wanna do this," Steve said calmly as he leveled his weapon at Penny. "Just put the gun down and we all walk out of here."

"Not gonna happen. I waited too many years to find a man I could love who would love me back. And now he's waiting for me on the other side of this building and no one, including you, is going to keep me from getting to him."

Steve watched as her hand started to shake ever so slightly. It was one thing to think about shooting another human being, but actually doing it was a whole other matter.

"Drop your gun, Commander," Penny said with a slight tremble in her voice, "Or I'll shoot Lieutenant Rollins in the head."

"Why don't you put down your gun," Steve countered. "And you'll get to live to see tomorrow. If you pull that trigger there's no scenario where you don't end up dead."

"We'll see about that." Penny looked at Catherine and snarled. "I knew you were gonna be trouble. I should have killed you on day one. It would have been so easy. Just turn the dosage on the IV up a smidge higher and you'd have gone to sleep and never woke up."

Steve's jaw tightened.

"I'm not the problem here," Catherine said in a calm, even voice. "Any man who would ask you to participate in something like this doesn't really love you. Just let us help you."

"I don't want your help," Penny lashed out. "Maybe I'll kill Kelly first so the two of you can see what you caused." She spun and pointed the gun at the terrified young woman beside her.

Steve saw her finger twitch and did the only thing he could. He fired one shot right through her head.

Kelly's screams filled the air as Penny dropped to the ground dead two feet away.

* * *

Danny's head snapped to the right as the sound of a gunshot rang out from the interior of the building followed by a piercing scream.

"That didn't sound like Catherine," Kono said, relief clear in her voice.

"No, it didn't," Danny agreed. "But it's still a pretty good indication things are going south in there. I don't think we can wait any longer."

"I agree," Grover nodded as he put on his helmet. "It's time to move in." He raised his arm and signalled for his men who fell in immediately.

"Remember," Danny yelled as dozens of armed men prepared to enter the building, "We've got two of our own in there. We have no idea if they are confined or out moving around. So before you take a shot make sure you know what you're shooting at."

He turned to Chin and Kono. "There are eight floors. I want the three of us to spread so if if we find Steve and Catherine, no matter what floor, we can get there fast."

"Sounds good," the cousins nodded.

"I'll stay with the team on the ground floor then work my way up to three. Kono you take four through six. Chin, take seven and eight plus the roof."

"Got it."

"Duke, have some of your guys get to work turning the lights back on in the building as soon as possible. And the second anyone has eyes on Steve and Catherine I wanna know it."

* * *

The sound of a woman screaming caught the attention of Darrin Rivera and he took off running towards it. He wasn't sure who the screams belonged to but something in his gut told him if he followed the sound he'd find Steve McGarrett. And finding McGarrett was precisely what he planned on doing.

He'd worked too hard to become Anton Sinclair's head of security. To win the trust of one of the most powerful men in the country. Since Sinclair was placed on house arrest he'd been the big man's eyes and ears. Someone who could move about the island freely when the boss couldn't.

He'd been promised a big reward after this whole matter was handled and his boss was once again a free man and he still intended to collect. He'd seen Anton Sinclair escape from worse situations than this. Walk away clean when the cops were sure they had him dead to rights. All he had to do was take care of McGarrett and Rollins, then take out Sacia, and nobody would be able to tie anything back to Sinclair.

He'd been very careful. No one talked to the boss directly. Everything went through him.

It felt pretty good being the big man for a change. Flashing a little money around the old neighborhood. Driving all the girls at the strip club crazy. They might have ignored him back when he was a two-bit hustler but they sure knew his name now. And things were only gonna get better from here.

He could go to jail for a few years to protect Sinclair if had to. He knew he'd be taken care of when he got out. The worst thing they had on him now was kidnapping and if he could find McGarrett and Rollins, kill them, then get rid of their bodies by burning the entire building to the ground, they wouldn't even have that. This place was so old and run down it'd go up like it was made of paper, taking any evidence the two Five-0 cops were ever there with it. So what did they have? Maybe a couple of drug charges. Two years tops.

When he got the call at home that the Five-0 leader had escaped he was furious. He warned his men over and over that they needed to be constantly vigilant around the ex-SEAL. That if he saw any opening at all he'd take it.

He thought back to sitting in the chair beside McGarrett's bed, watching him look at pictures of his dead girlfriend. No matter how stoic he appeared, Rivera knew the truth. Those pictures were like a knife to the cop's heart. He had to hand it to Sacia, having that stuff printed up was a stroke of genius.

He hoped when he found McGarrett, Rollins was with him. That way he could kill her first and get to see the Five-0 chief's reaction when her body was right in front of him. And when her death was real.

He heard hushed voices and figured he was headed in the right direction. He stuck as close to the wall as he could and sure enough, about twenty feet up ahead, he saw them. They were trying to console Kelly who was distraught to nearly the point of hysteria. He assumed that had something to do with the dead body of Wolfert's girlfriend laying at her feet.

This was perfect.

They were so busy dealing with Kelly they didn't even see him coming. It was too bad he was gonna have to kill her too, but he couldn't leave any witnesses. He just wished he'd gotten a chance to bang the pretty blonde before shooting her. Oh well, there were plenty of girls down at the club willing to give him whatever he wanted.

"I can't stand … I mean the blood … and the bullet hole …" he heard Kelly say. This chick was on the verge of hyperventilating.

When Rollins grabbed a discarded paint tarp and leaned down to cover the dead woman's face he made his move. He stepped out of the shadows and grabbed Kelly around the neck, pressing his gun to her temple.

"You may have been able to get away from those idiots that worked for me but I'm not them," he sneered at Steve.

"Let the girl go, Rivera. She doesn't have anything to do with this," Steve shouted as Kelly started to shake.

"That's not how this is gonna work," Rivera yelled back. You put your gun down and kick it away before I count to three or she's dead. One … two .."

Steve knelt down and placed his gun on the floor, making eye contact with Catherine in the process. Rivera took notice of the moment but wrote it off as nothing more than a last look between lovers.

"Now let her go," Steve demanded.

"For the time being," Rivera shrugged. "I'm far more interested in watching how you react to seeing your girlfriend's head get blown off anyway."

As if an unspoken command had been given Steve and Catherine moved at precisely the same time. From her position squatting next to the body she slid the gun that had fallen from Penny's hand when she hit the ground to Steve, then sprung up and tackled Kelly out of harm's way. In one smooth motion Steve knelt down, grabbed the gun and fired two shots.

The first went through Rivera's right wrist causing the gun to clatter to the floor.

The second went through his chest.

Steve had never been the type to feel good after killing any man, no matter how much he deserved it, but he wasn't going to lose any sleep over Darrin Rivera. He may not have been the creator of the faked pictures and articles, Steve doubted he was that clever, but the level of glee he took in them told Steve everything he needed to know about the fake Marshal's character.

The world was a better place without him.

* * *

"Who's there? What's going on? Penny, is that you?" a man's voice called out from about fifty feet away. "I can't see you, baby. Do you have a flashlight?"

"That's Dr. Wolfert," Kelly hissed. "He's calling for Penny. Do you think he was the man she was meeting?"

"Probably," Catherine said as she helped the traumatized young woman move to a sitting position with her back against the wall. "Now listen to me. You sit right here. Keep your hands visible. The police will be along any minute. You just tell them who you are and that they need to talk to Commander McGarrett about you."

"What if it's not the police that come? What if it's someone else?" she began to panic. "I think I should go with you."

"Right now I think you're a lot safer away from us," Steve replied sincerely.

"We're just going to the other side of the room," Catherine said as soothingly as possible. "If you need something just yell and we'll come back. But Kelly … " Catherine looked her directly in the eye, "Only if you really need something."

"I understand," Kelly nodded bravely.

While Catherine grabbed Penny's flashlight, Steve retrieved his gun then handed Penny's to Catherine and the two of them started off across the factory floor to find Dr. Wolfert.

* * *

As soon as Danny entered the building he started making his way towards the the far end, the area he believed he heard the first shot come from. He had a gut feeling that if he located the origin of that shot he would find Steve and Catherine. Or at least something that would point him in their direction.

Gun raised, clearing areas he went, he moved along the front wall of the building with determination. As he got closer to the back corner he heard a soft whimpering and his heart began to beat faster. He turned off his flashlight and crept through the darkness, carefully concealing himself in the shadows.

As he approached the sound of the whimpering her saw two bodies lying on the floor. One male. One female. Thankfully neither were Steve or Catherine. A short distance away an obviously frightened young woman sat backed up against the wall, her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around them, head down and crying softly.

"Five-0," Danny said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," the girl said as she raised her hands high in the air. "They told me to keep my hands visible. I'm sorry. Please don't shoot me."

"I'm not going to shoot you," Danny said calmly. "What's your name?"

"Kelly."

"Who told you to keep your hands visible?"

"Commander McGarrett and Lieutenant Rollins." She continued to sniffle but her tears were subsiding.

"Where are they?"

Kelly pointed to the other side of the expansive warehouse, not visible because of the lack of light. "They went after Dr. Wolfert."

"Are they armed?"

Kelly nodded in the affirmative.

Danny waved his flashlight to get the attention of an HPD officer who he then directed to escort Kelly outside for questioning. She smiled gratefully as the young officer helped to her feet and they headed back in the direction from which Danny had come while he headed off to find Steve and Catherine.

* * *

"Hold it, Dr. Wolfert!" Catherine said as she and Steve approached, guns raised. "The building is surrounded. You'll never even get out of the parking lot."

The cowardly doctor had his hand on the back door and looked ready to make his exit, with or without his lady love.

Catherine felt a brief twinge that Penny gave her life for a man so clearly unworthy of that level of sacrifice.

He froze for a minute, as though momentarily considering making a break for his waiting car, then clearly thought better of it and turned around slowly.

"My name isn't Wolfert and I'm not really a doctor," he said, squinting into the beam of the flashlight Catherine had taken from Penny.

"You don't say," Steve said sarcastically. "So what's your real name?"

"Frank Sacia … but I'm not the man you're looking for. None of this was my idea."

"Is that so?" Steve said. "And whose idea was it?"

"I'm not telling you that until you give me a deal."

Catherine looked at Steve and rolled her eyes. "Most people at least wait until they get to the police station before they start groveling for a deal."

Steve chuckled. "Apparently Dr. Wolfert … excuse me Mr. Sacia … is an over-achiever."

"Mock all you want but I know how this works. You want the person who ordered the kidnapping, and who ordered you to be murdered once all the pieces were in place," Wolfert taunted. "All I did was keep an eye on you once you were here and make up a few fake articles and pictures."

Instantly the air crackled with tension.

Steve took three strides forward, placing himself right in front of Sacia, backing the now visibly nervous man against the wall.

"Those pictures were _your_ idea?" he ground out, enunciating every syllable.

Sacia swallowed hard and tried unsuccessfully not to cower. "We needed a way to keep you contained until …" He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath and pulled himself up until he was almost at Steve's eye level. "No … you don't get any information until I know I have a deal."

"You think you're gonna walk away scot free after doing something like that? Because honestly I'm trying to think of one good reason not to put a bullet through your brain right now."

Catherine knew Steve's intimidating stance was a tactic but in this case, after what Sacia had done creating the pictures and articles, she also knew he'd welcome any excuse to beat the man to a pulp.

Truth be told she wouldn't mind taking a swing herself.

"I think you'll be more than happy to make a deal with me when you find out what … or rather who … I have to offer."

"Let me guess," Catherine said. "Anton Sinclair."

"Well … yes … how …" Sacia trailed off.

"It didn't take a rocket scientist," Catherine replied. " But Sinclair is notorious for keeping his inner circle small. How do we know you're even close enough to give us everything we want?"

"Oh, I'm close enough," Sacia said haughtily.

"I don't know," Steve shook his head and looked Sacia up and down. "You don't really seem like the type."

"Definitely not," Catherine joined in and agreed wholeheartedly. "Sinclair tends to stick with guys that are more like him. Tough, rugged, real man's man types."

"Something tells me this guy just _thinks_ he's on the inside when he's probably just getting coffee and handling the easy stuff."

"Is that what you think?" Sacia shot back. "Well, you're dead wrong. I know everything. I was right there beside him when it was going down. The document forgery, the drug dealing, the international arms trading, and every murder he's ordered since he came to Hawaii … including yours."

"Well, I guess we were wrong," Catherine shrugged. "That's quite an impressive list."

"And if I'm not mistaken our friend Mr. Sacia just implicated himself in all of it," Steve smirked.

Suddenly every light in the room sprung back to life, revealing not only the hiding places of several of Sinclair's men but about a dozen HPD officers and a very happy looking Danny Williams who had been standing ten feet behind Catherine, watching the show.

"When were you gonna let us know you were there?" Steve asked with a smile.

"I was having too much fun watching you two trick this moron into confessing," Danny chuckled. He nodded at Duke who was approaching from the left. "Take him in on suspicion of … what was it again?"

"Forgery, drugs, gun running and murder, I believe," Steve smirked.

As Duke reached for his cuffs Steve suddenly cocked his arm back and punched the faux-doctor square in the face so hard his head impacted the wall behind him. He let out a howl of pain as blood began spurting from his nose and lip.

"That was for the fake articles and pictures," Steve growled and Catherine couldn't help but smile.

"Glad you did that or I would've had to," Danny said dryly.

He crossed to where Catherine was standing and wrapped her in a tight hug. "You ok, Hon?"

"I'm better now," she said against his neck.

He gave her one last squeeze and turned to Steve. "You look cute in those scrubs."

Steve smiled. He saw past the teasing to the true emotion in Danny's words. The relief of finding them safe and unharmed was written all over his best friend's face. "I'm touched by your concern."

"I was just worried … you know … that I might have to break in a new partner. Plus … I don't want your job … it involves too much paperwork."

Catherine watched the two men with an affectionate smile. Where some people saw only teasing, she saw the deep and abiding love of brothers.

When she couldn't wait another second she said, "Danny, is Cammie ok?"

"She's fine," Danny said reassuringly. "She took in a little gas but the vet checked her out and gave her a clean bill of health."

Catherine and Steve's faces took on matching scowls at the thought of Cammie inhaling the same gas that had rendered them both unconscious, and the damage that could have resulted. They shared an intense look that let Danny know both intended to revisit the matter with the person or persons responsible.

"She's fine," Danny repeated. "Esther's been looking after her.

Catherine knew Cammie couldn't have been in better hands than Esther's still she needed to see for herself before she would be 100% satisfied their beloved dog was completely ok. She clasped her hands excitedly in front of her body. "I can't wait to see her."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you too … however … first things first." Danny pointed at Catherine, "You need to call your parents," then at Steve, "And you need to call your sister. Then you both need to call Grace. And the Allens. And Esther. And Carrie and John. And of course, Nonna."

Steve wrapped his arms around Catherine's shoulders and she leaned into his side, both sporting wide smiles.

"Just keeping up with all the people who love the two of you is exhausting."

 **END CHAPTER 4**


	5. Chapter 5

**Together (5/5)**

 _In our togetherness, castles are built- Irish proverb_

As soon as they got word Steve and Catherine had been located and were headed outside for some fresh air, Chin and Kono met up on the ground floor, exited the building, and eagerly made their way across the now bustling parking lot amid the flashing lights of assorted squad cars and ambulances and the sound of dozens of law enforcement officers attempting to sort out at least thirty handcuffed perps.

They made their way passed a young blonde woman in scrubs sitting in the back of one squad car talking to a female officer and sidestepped a man with blood on his face being put into the back of another. As soon as they spotted Steve and Catherine their pace quickened.

"It's so good to see you," Kono said as she reached them and immediately hugged Catherine tightly. "You had us all worried there for a while."

"Sorry about that," Catherine said softly, hugging Kono back just as tightly and even holding on a bit longer than she normally would, "It's good to see you, too."

"I saw someone who looked a lot like Frank Sacia in the back of a police car with what I suspect is a broken nose." Chin looked questioningly at Steve and Danny. "Either one of you two know anything about that?"

"The faked pictures and articles were his idea," Danny shrugged.

He knew no further explanation would be necessary.

Chin nodded approvingly. "Good to have you back, Steve."

"Thanks." Steve yawned then stretched. "It's good to be back."

As soon as Kono was through hugging Catherine she turned and wrapped Steve in a warm embrace. "Welcome back," she said sincerely.

"I think you two better get used to being hugged," Chin chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Catherine. "There are a lot of people who were very worried about you two."

"Thanks," Steve and Catherine said in unison.

"And," Chin said with a sly grin, "I had the feeling that as soon as we found you guys you were gonna wanna call your family sooooo…." He pulled Steve and Catherine's phones from his back pockets. "I brought these along. Fully charged and everything."

"Thank you," Catherine sighed gratefully as Chin handed over her phone. "I need to call my parents."

"And I need to call Mary. I have to make sure …" Steve's breath caught in his throat. "I mean what if it had happened a day earlier? Mary and Joanie and Aunt Deb would have been there."

Catherine watched a flood of dark emotions play out on Steve's features. Worry. Guilt. Fear. She squeezed his forearm gently. "It didn't. They're all perfectly safe." She locked eyes with him and smiled softly. "But I'm sure she's desperate to hear from you."

"Yeah," Steve nodded and put his hand over Catherine's, lacing his fingers with hers. "I really need to hear her voice, too."

Twenty minutes later Steve and Catherine sat on the back steps of side-by side ambulances, cell phones pressed to their ears, grudgingly being looked over by paramedics. Both had initially insisted it was unnecessary, and that they felt fine, but in the end both agreed to receiving the once-over on the condition the other did as well.

Danny stood a few feet away, unwilling to let either of them out of his sight for long, directing the final stages of prisoner transport and giving instructions to the evidence teams who would enter as soon as the building was officially clear.

"I know you were scared, Mom, and I'm really sorry about that. But we're both okay. I promise," Catherine said into her phone as a young female paramedic cleaned the cuts she received climbing through the ductwork. "A few bumps and bruises. That's it."

She could picture her parents sitting side-by-side on the couch, holding hands, the phone, set on speaker, lying on the coffee table in front of them. She was sure they hadn't slept much since getting the news of the abduction and her heart ached at the thought of what they must have gone through.

" _Are you sure you don't want me to fly in early? Your Dad could stay here with Grandma Ang and then they could come as planned later in the month."_

"I'm sure, Mom. I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I'm fine. Honestly. And you guys will be on your way here for Thanksgiving before you know it."

" _She's just worried about you. I think she wants to see for herself that our girl is safe."_

"I know, Dad." Catherine smiled affectionately. "And I love you both for it. I'll Skype you tomorrow so you can see I'm fine."

" _We love you too, honey. We can't wait to see you, even if it's just over the computer for now. Grandma Ang tried to wait up for your call but the last few days have been long ones and she fell asleep about a half hour ago."_

"Send her my love as soon as she wakes up and I tell her I can't wait to see her."

" _I will. Now Smokey is giving us that look so your father has to take him out but would it be possible for me to talk to Steve for a minute?"_

* * *

"I know, Mare. I keep thinking … I'm just glad you and Joanie and Aunt Deb were safely back at home before it happened."

" _Don't worry about us right now, big brother. Are you sure you're ok?"_

Steve smiled at the young paramedic checking his blood pressure."Positive."

" _Catherine, too?"_

Steve looked to his left and smiled as he saw Catherine deep in conversation with her parents. "Catherine, too."

" _Ok then."_

Steve heard Mary exhale heavily with a mixture of exhaustion and relief.

 _"Listen I need you to stay out of … you know … things like this … from now on."_

Steve could hear the genuine concern in her voice. "I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best."

" _I guess that's the best I can hope for. Thanks. I love you, Steve."_

"I love you, too. Give Joanie a kiss from us. We'll Skype soon."

" _Sounds good. Get some sleep. And tell Catherine I love her and give her a hug from me."_

"Will do."

* * *

"My mom wants to talk to you," Catherine said as she leaned over and held out her phone to Steve.

He swallowed hard then put it to his ear.

"Hi, Elizabeth."

" _Steve, I know the two of you are exhausted and want to get home but I just wanted to check in real quick and make sure you're okay."_

"I'm so sorry about this." Steve closed his eyes and dropped his head back. "I have no idea how it happened. You know keeping Catherine safe is my top priority and how someone got into our home … I don't know how it happened but I'll find out. I guarantee you that. I don't want you to think I'm gonna take this lightly …"

" _Steve … Steve … slow down. Joseph and I both know how seriously you take Catherine's safety. And vice versa. The two of you look out for each other. We're not blaming you for this. It wasn't your fault."_

"I should be able to keep our home safe," Steve insisted.

" _And you do. I have no doubt the two of you will figure this out together and fix whatever went wrong. But what I'm asking you now is … how are_ _ **you**_ _? Are_ _ **you**_ _ok?"_

Steve took a deep breath and swallowed around the lump in his throat as he realized what Elizabeth was asking. He couldn't possibly find the words to express how much her concern for his personal well-being meant to him. How it touched his heart. How it gave him the feeling of family he was sure for so long he'd never have.

"I'm fine. Really. But … ummmm….thanks … you know … "

" _I know. Now you go get some rest and we'll talk to you soon."_

* * *

Just as they were preparing to leave, Catherine heard a familiar bark and turned around just in time to see Cammie leading Esther across the parking lot on a bee-line for her humans. Nothing or no one was going to stand in determined dog's way. Catherine dropped to her knees as they got close and the excited pup ran immediately into her embrace.

"Oh my goodness, there's my pretty girl," she said happily as she gave and received dozens of kisses. "Are you ok, baby?" She wrapped her arms around the excited dog. "I missed you so much, Cammie."

After watching the joyful reunion for a minute or so Steve squatted beside them and ruffled the fur on Cammie's neck. "You're such a good girl, Cammie. We missed you so much."

Catherine started to stand but Cammie nudged her back to her knees, tail wagging wildly, apparently happy to have both of her humans at her level and eager to let them know how happy she was to see them.

"I'm sorry for bringing her to the crime scene," Esther said, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I know that's a big no-no. But I was watching the story on the news and she heard your voices when you were being interviewed and she got excited and started running all over looking for you and then … well, I got caught up in her excitement and said 'Let's get in the car, Cammie.' … and here we are."

"It's fine," Catherine smiled up at her flustered friend. "I mean we don't want to make a habit of it but this is a special circumstance. Thanks for looking after her. Danny said you took her to the vet?"

"Absolutely. I left a copy of the report for you but the bottom line is the vet said she'll be fine."

Out of nowhere Cammie's entire demeanor changed. Her tail stopped wagging, she sniffed the air, and began scanning the far end of the lot. She appeared to be searching through a small cluster of men at the far end of the lot being readied for transport to HPD. Her eyes eventually settled on a specific young man wearing jeans, a baggy t-shirt and a baseball cap.

She took a few steps towards the him and began to emit a low growl. When he looked up and made eye contact with her she began to bark.

"What's wrong, Cammie?" Steve asked, taking her leash from Esther. She led them to within ten feet of the man she'd locked on to and her barking intensified.

"That guy looks really familiar," Catherine said, trying to remember where she'd seen him before as Cammie continued to express her displeasure with him. "Oh wait, I know, he works for our alarm company."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked angrily.

He handed Cammie's leash to Catherine and started towards the man. If this was the person responsible for allowing strangers to invade their home he wanted to have a little talk with him.

"Slow down," Danny said as he stepped in front of his best friend. He understood Steve's anger. If this guy had anything to do with Sinclair's men getting into the beach house he deserved the beating Steve looked more than ready to provide. But this was neither the time nor the place.

He signalled Duke who came over immediately. "The guy in the baseball hat, have him taken to HQ, ok? I want to talk to him personally."

"No problem," Duke nodded.

"Just let me take care of this, ok?" Danny put his hand on Steve's chest. "You've got other things to do. I have strict orders from Nonna. She made me promise that as soon as we found the two of you I'd make you go and get checked out by a real doctor in a real hospital."

"I don't need … " Steve said at the same time Catherine said, "It's not necessary …"

Danny cut them both off by holding his hands up in the universal sign for stop. "It's out of my hands. I promised Nonna."

"But we have Cammie," Catherine said, looking for a loophole.

"I'll call ahead and clear it with the ER," Danny smirked. "Now go."

* * *

Steve and Catherine weren't eager to incur the wrath of Nonna so they accepted the offer of a ride from one of the HPD officers and went to the hospital as ordered to be checked paramedics on site had treated all of the minor cuts and bruises but there was still the matter of the nitrous oxide they were gassed with during the kidnapping and the ketamine they were given via IV drip.

The doctors ordered a full blood work-up and toxicology screen and while they waited for the results Cammie charmed every nurse, doctor and patient in the place. After several hours of waiting, and several cups of strong black coffee, the results came back. Like Cammie, both Steve and Catherine still had some of the chemicals left in their systems, but the doctors assured them they'd dissipate naturally and all traces would be gone within a week or so. In short, they could expect a full recovery with no lingering side effects.

When they were done at the hospital they dropped by HPD to thank everyone for all the long hours and hard work they'd put in over the last few days. Danny reported that many of the officers had been working around the clock since Monday morning and Steve and Catherine wanted to make sure they knew how much it was appreciated.

By the time they made it back to headquarters it was a little past noon.

Chin, Danny and Kono were leaning on the smart table, clearly exhausted, guzzling black coffee that was so strong Steve and Catherine could smell it when they came through the door. Cammie wagged her tail as she trotted towards them. She also loved a chance to visit the place where her humans spent their days.

"Why aren't you guys interrogating Sacia?" Steve asked.

"We were, but he decided he wasn't going to say another word until he has a deal in place," Chin said. "Frank Kaewa's in there right now hammering one out."

"What'd the doctor say?" Kono asked around a yawn.

"Just like Cammie," Steve smiled at the happy dog who was now sitting at his feet. "It'll take a few days for the drugs to disappear from our systems but we'll be good as new in no time."

"That's great news," Danny nodded. "I promised the ER charge nurse Cammie wouldn't cause any problems. I assume she didn't let me down?"

"Of course not," Catherine smiled. "Everyone at the hospital loved her. And everyone at HPD when we stopped by there."

Danny chuckled. "You're a very popular girl."

"Did you get anything from Sacia?" Steve asked, unable to stop himself from slipping into investigator mode.

"Not too much. He's waiting for his deal," Danny scoffed. "But don't worry. I know the type. He's gonna sing like a canary. We'll get everything we need to put Anton Sinclair away for life."

"He did answer one question we were wondering about though," Chin said.

Steve reached down to pet Cammie. "What's that?"

"We couldn't figure out why he grabbed both you and Catherine. I mean … Catherine was the only one set to testify. Why not just grab her? Managing one person would have been a lot easier than managing two."

Steve knew exactly what Chin meant, and it was a question that any good detective would ask, still the thought of Catherine facing the events of the last few days alone was something he didn't want to think about. He squeezed Catherine's hand and she squeezed back, indicating she understood as well.

"What'd he say?" Steve asked.

"He said Sinclair planned to make it look as though Catherine had taken a payoff to skip out on testifying, but he knew that no one would ever believe she left you and ran off alone so they had to grab you too and make it look like you were both in on it."

Steve shook his head at the sheer stupidity of Sinclair's plan. Anyone who knew Catherine knew there was zero chance she'd trade her testimony for any amount of money. Before he could say exactly that the door from the back hallway opened and Frank Kaewa entered the bullpen followed by Sacia, in handcuffs, escorted by several HPD officers.

He and Catherine both tensed at the sight of the man who had caused them such pain and Cammie seemed to read the change in her humans.

"We're going to send Mr. Sacia over to the jail for the night while I formalize this agreement," Frank said. "After we get all the signatures you'll be free to bring him back over and he has assured me he'll tell us everything we want to know."

As Frank was talking Cammie positioned her body in front of Steve and Catherine and began edging them backwards. They took one step and she repeated the process, nudging them with her nose and using the side of her body to move them back another.

As the officers escorted Sacia past her humans, who glared at him every step of the way, Cammie repeated the action one more time then sat down and watched as Sacia disappeared through the bullpen doors.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Cammie quizzically but Frank just chuckled. "She's part Bernese, right?"

"Right," Catherine said.

"She's trying to herd you," Frank smiled. "To keep you away from Sacia. She read your emotions and was trying to move you to safety. I have a Bernese too. It's coded in their genetics."

Catherine grinned. "I knew Bernies were herders but I hadn't ever really seen her do that before."

"Mine does it every time it storms," Frank laughed. "Tries to get everyone to the basement."

"That must be fun," Steve smiled.

Frank rolled his eyes. "You have no idea. The cats are especially unimpressed. I'll let you know as soon as the papers are signed," he said, then headed for the door.

"Well, I guess that means we can all take the rest of the day and go home and get some sleep," Danny said tiredly but before he could put that plan into action his phone buzzed with an incoming call from Grace.

Steve and Catherine had talked to her briefly after their rescue, before she left for school. Just long enough to assure her they were both fine and promise they would see her soon.

"What's up, Monkey?"

" _Are Uncle Steve and Auntie Catherine there?"_

"Yea, they're here. Do you want to talk to them?"

" _Yes, please. Can you put me on speaker?"_

Danny did as requested and held his phone out towards Steve and Catherine.

"Hi Gracie," they said in unison.

" _Hi, Uncle Steve. Hi, Auntie Catherine. How are you feeling?"_

"We're good, sweetheart," Steve smiled. "How's school?"

" _It's good. Listen, I was wondering … "_

They heard a slight hesitation in her voice.

"What, honey? Do you need something?" Catherine asked.

" _Kind of. I mean … I figured that you'd both be tired and you wouldn't want to cook. But you definitely need to eat after what you've been through, I mean they didn't feed you like they should have, so I called Kamekona and asked him to make you some food and I was gonna have Mrs. Blake drive me over to get it as soon as I get out of school and I could bring it by there,"_ Grace's words tumbled out in a rush.

"That's very sweet, Gracie, but you don't have to do that," Steve said, touched by the gesture.

" _I want to. I mean … I meant what I said about the food but I also want to see you. I was so worried about you. But … I really do understand if you're too tired."_

Steve and Catherine exchanged a look. They could never refuse Gracie something as thoughtful as this. And truth be told they were eager to see her too.

Catherine nodded and Steve said, "That sounds great. We'd love to. But how about if we meet you at the shrimp truck right after school. It'll save Kamekona the trouble of packing everything up."

" _Great. I'll see you there."_

Every person in the room could picture the huge smile on Grace's face.

* * *

By the time Danny and Grace dropped them off at home it was close to 5:00 P.M. and they were exhausted. Both the adrenaline rush of their escape and the second wind that arrived when they were at the hospital had long since dissipated and they could barely keep their eyes open.

The president of the alarm company called Steve personally while they were waiting at the hospital for test results. He'd just heard that one of his employees may have played a role in the kidnapping and he was appalled. He said he would send someone he trusted implicitly out immediately to check the entire system and replace all the keypads. He relayed what the temporary password would be and told Steve that would work for their first entry then they could reset it to whatever they wanted.

As they made their way in the front door Steve and Catherine stopped and looked around. It felt good to be home but at the same time there was a strange feeling knowing what had happened just a few days before. They shared a look and, after reaching a silent understanding, stepped into the living room. They weren't going to allow anyone or anything to destroy the feeling of home they'd built.

Cammie, who was worn out from her big day, went immediately to her favorite sleep spot and laid down.

"Is it my imagination or does this place smell like furniture polish?" Catherine asked.

"I smelled it too but I thought maybe I was hallucinating because I'm so tired," Steve teased.

They walked to the kitchen to put the food Kamekona sent home with them, 'just in case they got hungry later', in the refrigerator and were nearly blinded by the shine on … well … everything.

"I could have sworn there were a few dishes in the sink," Steve said.

"I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Grace seemed kind of determined to keep us out of the house," Catherine smiled.

"Could very well be. She did keep checking her watch while we were eating. But who could have done it?"

"I don't know, Commander." Catherine couldn't stifle a yawn. "We'll have to solve that mystery after we get a few hours sleep."

They put the food in the fridge, grabbed two bottles of water, and headed upstairs with Cammie trailing right behind.

The minute they stepped into the bedroom they had their answer.

Right in the middle of their immaculately made bed laid a note.

 _Welcome Home! We hope you like the results of Operation: Home Safe and Sound to a Clean House. We broke into teams and shared the tasks just like Uncle Steve taught us. We're leaving you a quarter to make sure the bed meets your specifications. We're all glad you're ok and hope to see you soon. Jenna, Cody, Casey, Dylan, Kaitlyn, and Jacob._

Catherine's hand flew to her mouth. At the bottom of the note was a picture clearly drawn by Jacob. Six yellow figures Catherine was sure were supposed to be minions.

"Look," Steve said. "The littlest one has a cast."

Catherine blinked back tears. "And the mom is wearing a cape."

"That was really … amazing," Steve smiled. "When I talked to Jenna and Cody for a few minutes earlier they never let on."

"They really are a special family. This is getting framed and going on the picture wall," Catherine said as she laid the note carefully on the dresser. "Now, I'm gonna grab a quick shower, Commander. Care to join me?"

"Only if you promise to help hold me up, Lieutenant," he joked.

As they made their way into the bathroom they noticed a CVS bag on the counter. Catherine picked it up and another note fell out.

 _I figured after three days without your pills you'd need some backup protection. I made a CVS run in case you didn't think of it. Wasn't sure exactly what you'd want so I got a few different things. Glad you're both safe. Call as soon as you get a chance. Carrie_

"We're really lucky to have so many great friends," Catherine said as she swiped at a stray tear running down her cheek. The events of the last few days, combined with lack of sleep and all the amazing gestures of love they'd received since their release were starting to overwhelm her.

"We sure are," Steve agreed as he wrapped his arms around her. "Now let's get that shower before we both fall asleep standing up."

Fifteen minutes later they were cuddled together in bed, the CVS bag within reach. Steve wrapped Catherine in his arms and got a whiff of her shampoo and suddenly the moment he smelled that same smell on Sacia's sleeve came rushing back.

The heartbreaking images that cut straight through his soul even though he knew they weren't real.

Something about the look in Catherine's eyes told him she was fighting off similar memories.

Next thing he knew they were kissing passionately and each time they came up for air they shared their feelings about the last few days. The initial confusion, the fear for the safety of their loved ones, the devastation they felt looking at the pictures and reading the articles, even knowing they were fake, the determination to get free and find each other knowing whatever was happening they could tackle together.

They spent an hour kissing,touching and talking. Happy and content to be back in each other's arms. The CVS bag remained untouched for now. There'd be time for that after they'd had some sleep. Right now was about celebrating the joy and love and feeling of completion they always found when they were together.

 **THE END**


End file.
